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