KL police detain 89 RI workers

KL police detain 89 RI workers

MALAYSIA: Malaysian police have detained 89 Indonesian workers following a gang fight which resulted in eight men sustaining serious injuries, it was reported on Wednesday.

Some 100 workers armed with machetes, spears and sticks were involved in Monday's riot which was sparked by an argument between two Indonesian clans living in the central Selangor state, the Star daily reported.

Police were called in to stop the fight, and the 89 suspects were detained for questioning. Eight men, suffering from multiple stab wounds and bruises, were sent to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Malaysia is home to hundreds of thousands of both legal and illegal foreign workers who hail mainly from neighboring Indonesia.

The government in 2002, angered by a spate of gang fights and riots sparked off by Indonesian migrants, imposed a ban on the hiring of Indonesian workers for most industries. -- DPA