Malaysia Says No Compromise on Deadline for Illegals

Reuters
Saturday, January 21, 2005

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia threatened on Friday to crack down hard next month on illegal immigrants, most of them Indonesians, but has yet to decide on making an exception for those from Aceh, the tsunami-hit Indonesian province.

Twice in the last three months Malaysia has extended an amnesty for illegal immigrants to return home without punishment, most recently after the Asian tsunami on Dec. 26 that killed tens of thousands of Indonesians, particularly Acehnese.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said those who stayed on in Malaysia after Jan. 31 would face stern action.

"We have given them ample time to return to their home country and there's no more excuse for them not to do so," state news agency Bernama quoted him as saying.

For Acehnese, he said, the government would study their situationbefore making a decision.

Officials say there are around 1.2 million illegal immigrants in Malaysia. Those caught are routinely deported but many more slip in daily through the country's porous coastlines.

Illegals who do not take advantage of the amnesty can be jailed for 5 years or fined before being deported. Men younger than 50 can be whipped.

Some human rights groups have warned Malaysia against a repeat of rights violations that took place during previous deportation exercises in 2002. But the National Human Rights Commission supported Najib's call.

"It is in Malaysia's interest to reduce its reliance on foreign workers in the long run," commission member Hamdan Adnan told Reuters. "Should we have to continue importing labor, it should be legal."

Malaysia, one of Southeast Asia's leading economies, suffers a persistent shortage of skilled and unskilled workers.