Indonesian illegal immigrants held in Malaysia raid

Indonesian illegal immigrants held in Malaysia raid

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian security forces rounded up almost 600 Indonesian illegal immigrants in a pre-dawn raid on their jungle squatter settlement Friday.

The group -- 589 Indonesians, three Bangladeshis and one Pakistani -- was detained near the site of the international airport at Sepang, south of Kuala Lumpur.

They were believed to be working at construction sites around Putrajaya, the country's planned new administrative capital, the official Bernama news agency said.

Abdul Halim Abdullah, commander of the paramilitary General Operations Force, said the raid was carried out following a tip- off that illegal immigrants were building huts in the jungle.

The illegals were being detained pending deportation.

The New Straits Times reported last month that thousands of Indonesians, many working as construction workers, have set up illegal settlements near Putrajaya.

It said the presence of about 6,000 Acehnese, Madurese and Javanese on private and government land was sparking fears among local residents.

Hundreds of Acehnese and Madurese clashed last month over a misunderstanding involving a cellular telephone.

In the southern state of Johor, marine police detained 47 Indonesians, including nine women and three children, after a 30- minute boat chase Thursday night.

The operators of the two high-powered boats who were trying to smuggle the Indonesians into Malaysia fled into a mangrove jungle.

Malaysia's west coast is 50 kilometers from the Indonesian island of Sumatra in some places. Many Indonesians enter Malaysia illegally to escape economic hardship at home.