4,000 RI workers confined to quarters

4,000 RI workers confined to quarters

MALAYSIA: Malaysian police have ordered the confinement of more than 4,000 Indonesian immigrants within their places of work following a recent spate of violent fights that have resulted in four deaths, reports said on Wednesday.

The workers, who are employed at several furniture factories in eastern Sarawak state, have been ordered not to leave their work quarters for an indefinite period of time, said district police chief Ambrose Chung.

"We ordered them not to leave the factories until investigations have been completed. Police have also placed a team of officers there to monitor the situation," he told the Malay-language Berita Harian daily.

"This is a safety measure. We fear there may be more fights ... we don't want it to escalate to be a big riot," he said.

The first fight erupted on Thursday, when a gathering of some 1,000 Indonesian workers ended in the death of one man following a brawl. -- DPA