Illegal workers fleeing Malaysia

Illegal workers fleeing Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Illegal immigrants who came to Malaysia to work are fleeing the country ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline for deportation of those without entry permits, newspapers yesterday quoted police and officials as saying.

Police have also stepped up patrols near Kuala Lumpur embassies to prevent the immigrants from going there to seek political asylum to avoid being sent home, the New Sunday Times newspaper said.

It quoted Perlis state immigration director Raja Yahya Aziz as saying 15 Myanmar workers and five Bangladeshis were caught while trying to cross into Thailand. Perlis state is next to southern Thailand.

Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in October that there were 750,000 foreign workers in the country with work permits and a million more who worked illegally. Malaysia's booming economy has created acute labor shortages and provided a magnet for foreign workers.