Occasional one-liners hit their mark, such as: headhunting on Borneo these days is confined to selecting the best person for the job. But Thirunavukkarasu misfires on the issues of race, relationships and stereotyping, offering outright insults instead.

The Chinese 'can be brash, crude and uncouth' and possess zero generosity while piling more food on their plates than they can possibly consume at free buffets, he writes. They also rush the exit doors of aircraft before they stop.

Urban Chinese, being in possession of the business DNA gene, will do business anywhere, 'even in a sleazy pub joint', and can adopt 'ridiculous' western names: there is 'probably a Hitler Ang somewhere downtown', he writes.

By contrast, their rural cousins are 'reputed to offer excellent hospitality although [they are] socially ill-refined'.

Of the Indian male, beware: 'He could well belong to an unsavoury group of characters who would love to pick a fight. Remember, Indians are highly territorial and don't like being intimidated by foreigners.'

The Indian man is prone to Dr Jekyll-like qualities when chasing the hand of a maiden, but he 'can morph into the most brutal and ruthless of Mr Hydes after marriage'.

However, the harshest criticism is reserved for men of African heritage and smacks of South Africa under apartheid or the Mississippi of the 1950s.

'Marriage between black men and Chinese women is virtually non-existent,' the book claims. 'Don't bother trying if you're black.'

This includes hip-hop artists.

African-Americans tend more to be identified as 'funny men' due to Jackie Chan's promotion of Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour movies.

'Don't get too comfy: greeting an urban Chinese lady and striking up a conversation is still a privilege accorded to white men only. Walk in the opposite direction if you have African origins, even with a US passport.'

The idea that an African might marry a Malay is not entertained. 'As a people, the Malays have a strong sense of community spirit way superior to the Chinese and Indians,' the author contends.

'Additionally, Malays are very courteous people. It is a pleasure to engage in a conversation with a Malay.'

Critics say that given that Lewis Hamilton is the Formula One world champion, Tiger Woods is the dominant force in golf and Barack Obama is about to assume the presidency of the United States, most people would have thought old-fashioned notions about racial stereotypes were destined for the dustbins of history.

'The thing about Malaysia is that it is a very superficial country, giving more credence to form than substance or content,' author and academic Vejai Balasubramaniam said. 'So 'racist and superficial' is about right in describing Malaysia. It's algorithmic - the result of the pursuance of a political system based on race.'

Dos and Don'ts in Malaysia is published by iGroup Press in Thailand. It was printed and distributed by Thai companies and released at a testing time for race relations in Malaysia, where the government's policies favour native Malays and it stands accused of racial bullying.

Given Malaysia's tendency for banning books that the Internal Security Ministry sees as threatening social harmony, it's a bit surprising that this one got past the censors. Publishers constantly risk raising the ire of the ministry. In January, 11 books, eight in English, were banned, mainly for perceived slights against Islam. Ben Stiller's film Zoolander and Mike Myers' The Spy Who Shagged Me have also been banned along with an episode of US sitcom Friends.

Dr Vejai, who specialises in politics and multiculturalism at the University of Science, Malaysia, said while Dos and Don'ts had its fair share of humour, its stereotyping was accurate - helped enormously by Hollywood portrayals of white men as gentlemen.

'Blacks generally have cut it pretty bad in this country; many, being from West Africa, are watched with caution,' he said. 'If Lewis Hamilton were to walk in the streets without the fanfare he, too, would be watched with trepidation.'

The Star newspaper described the racial stereotyping in Dos and Don'ts as disconcerting, while Din Merican, a former diplomat, central banker and social commentator dismissed the effort as rubbish. He urged the author to walk down any street in Kuala Lumpur to get a lesson in cross-cultural relationships. 'There you'll see it. Nigerians date Chinese girls, European women go out with Malay men: you only have to look around. This kind of thing is done with malicious intent and probably designed to attract tourists to Thailand, and not Malaysia. We should probably all get together and sue the author.'

One Chinese reader, a woman, said: 'This book is a load of nonsense. Hasn't the author heard of the old line, 'once you go black you never go back'?'

Both iGroup Press and the author, Thirunavukkarasu, were approached repeatedly for comment about criticisms cited in this article, but have not responded.