KL steps up patrols to fight human-smuggling

KL steps up patrols to fight human-smuggling

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia has intensified patrols along the Malacca Strait and is working closely with Indonesia and Australia to fight people-smuggling, a senior official said on Sunday.

Muhamad Muda, marine police commander said while Malaysia was concerned about illegals entering the country, patrols have been stepped up to prevent foreigners from using Malaysia as a stepping stone to entering other countries illegally.

Muda's remark come amid the week-long saga of the Norwegian- flagged freighter, the Tampa, which picked up 420 Afghans, 13 Sri Lankans and five Indonesians last Sunday when the Indonesian boat carrying them to Australia started to leak.

Australia announced on Saturday that the refugees would be sent to New Zealand and Nauru where their claims for asylum would be processed.

While it is not clear if any of them onboard the ship reached Indonesia via Malaysia, Muda said Malaysia would cooperate to identify their original point of entry if requested.

Muda said early this year, marine police arrested a group of people from Afghanistan and Iraq who tried to sneak out of Malaysia into Indonesia.

Those arrested had entered Malaysia legally, he said, adding they were handed to the immigration authorities for further action.

"The marine police has been alerted. We have received intelligence that some foreigners are trying to sneak out from Malaysia's long west coast into Indonesia," the marine police chief told AFP.

Officials claim Indonesia has in recent years become a transit point for refugees hoping to enter Australia -- especially those from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.

They enter neighboring Malaysia visa-free and transit the Malacca Strait to Indonesia by small boat, they allege.

Muda said enforcement authorities however faced difficulties to stop human-smuggling since it involved syndicates, based in Malaysia and other countries, who are familiar with the waters enough to ferry them across the long but narrow Malacca Strait.

"We are on the look out for human-smuggling. We check them but we cannot stop them from going to Indonesia if they have proper travel documents. We do not know their real intentions," he said.

Muda said Malaysia would continue to work closely with Indonesian and Australian authorities to fight people-smuggling.

"In the past, Australia and Malaysian police have exchanged intelligence on illegal immigrants. We will continue to have healthy and active cooperation," he said.

Muda said the police do not want foreigners to turn Malaysia into a base for people-smuggling even though the number of reported incidents was not major.

"Human-smuggling out of Malaysia is not a serious problem. The number is small compared to those entering Malaysia illegally. We have stepped up patrols to curb both activities," he said.

There are about 600,000 illegal immigrants in Malaysia, mainly from neighboring countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Illegal immigrants have not only contributed to a growth in crime and other social problems in Malaysia but also to the spread of diseases and squatter colonies, claims the government.