KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Malaysian media returned to work at the nation's Parliament on Wednesday, ending a boycott after authorities backed down in a row over access to politicians.

More than 100 journalists, camera crews and photographers refused to attend press conferences and other events on Tuesday after cordons were erected in the lobby to prevent them mingling with lawmakers.

'The problem has been resolved, the issue has been settled,' said Mr Tiong King Sing, chairman of the ruling coalition's backbenchers' association, after the barricades were removed.

Opposition politicians had backed the boycott, with Democratic Action Party (DAP) veteran Mr Lim Kit Siang said the media were being 'treated as wild and dangerous animals'. Journalists usually mix freely with politicians who give impromptu 'door stop' media conferences as they walk in and out of the chamber. But the number of media people attending Parliament has soared since March elections which handed unprecedented gains to the opposition, shaking up Malaysia's political landscape. -- AFP