ASEAN ties to remain strong

ASEAN ties to remain strong

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysia's prime minister said the mass
repatriation of illegal immigrants would not affect the spirit of
solidarity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

As the region's economic woes intensify, throngs of illegal
immigrants have entered Malaysia in recent weeks, causing the
country to step up border controls. Most immigrants have entered
from Indonesia, where unemployment rates have multiplied
dramatically.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said leaders of
ASEAN agreed that each of the nine member countries had the right
to deport those who enter one another's countries illegally, the
New Straits Times newspaper reported yesterday.

More than half of Malaysia's 1.7 million foreign workers,
mainly in the construction and plantation sectors, are believed
to be illegal aliens. Authorities have cracked down by stepping
up deportations, but despite this the number of suspected illegal
immigrants has increased sharply recently.