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.