Govt deplores embassy intrusions in KL

JAKARTA (JP): The government deplored yesterday the intrusion into several embassies in Malaysia by Indonesians from Aceh province in northern Sumatra.

"Why did they force their way into those embassy compounds while the Malaysian government has never been chasing them," the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghaffar Fadyl, was quoted by Antara as saying.

About 40 illegal immigrants from Indonesia tried on Wednesday to enter the embassies of the United States, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Britain and Italy to seek political asylum.

Most were from Aceh and claimed they had been tortured by the Indonesian army because of their links to the separatist Aceh Merdeka (Free Aceh) movement. They said they would be persecuted by Indonesian authorities if repatriated, police said.

Police arrested 16 of the immigrants for not carrying valid travel documents and they have been detained at two police stations pending deportation.

The Acehnese also protested at the government's attempt on Tuesday to forcibly repatriate 53 illegal immigrants from Aceh who had rioted in a detention camp in Langkap, in northern Perak state, where they were being held pending deportation.

Fadyl declined further comment, saying only that Indonesia will respect the Malaysian government's handling of the incident.

Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Megat Junid Megat Ayob earlier Wednesday threatened to turn away 300 Acehnese who have been granted asylum here if they caused trouble.

The military authorities have reiterated that Aceh was safe and that the groups might have been caught as illegal immigrants and used the rebel story as a pretext to get sympathy and help from Malaysia. (swe)