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.