KL may delay RI deportation

KL may delay RI deportation

MALAYSIA: Malaysia will consider postponing plans to deport hundreds of thousands of illegal Indonesian immigrants back to their crisis-stricken country if Jakarta makes such a request, the government said on Tuesday.

Indonesian authorities have so far not asked Kuala Lumpur to delay a crackdown, scheduled to begin Jan. 1, to oust Malaysia's estimated 1 million illegal migrants - most of them Indonesians - said Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.

"We have not made any decision, but I believe the Indonesian government can make any request which they deem necessary for Malaysia to consider," Najib told reporters. "We are always very sympathetic to their request."

Indonesia has been struggling to bury the dead and maintain order on Sumatra island in Indonesia, where Sunday's earthquake and tsunamis killed at least 4,991 people. Some estimate the real toll may turn out to be five times that number.

Malaysia has been less hard-hit by the tidal waves, with at least 60 drownings reported so far on its northwestern coast, separated from Sumatra by a narrow strait.

Over the past two months, Malaysia has offered an amnesty to illegal migrants that allows them to leave the country by Dec. 31 without punishment. About 200,000 illegal workers are expected to leave voluntarily by the end of the amnesty offer.

Officials warn a huge crackdown will begin next month to arrest and deport illegal migrants. --AP