Govt deplores embassy intrusions in KL

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)