KL to crack down on illegal immigrants

KL to crack down on illegal immigrants

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will not further extend an amnesty for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from tsunami-hit Indonesia and other countries, and will begin a crackdown on Feb. 1, a report said Saturday.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was quoted by The Star as saying the government had given foreigners enough time to respond after extending the amnesty period following the December 26 disaster that killed nearly 220,000 people.

"We are not closing the door on foreigners. They can come back here as legal workers," he said.

Police and various enforcement agencies would start operations to weed out illegal immigrants from next month, he added.

Some 320,000 illegal workers, mostly Indonesians, had so far taken up the offer to return home without penalty since the amnesty began Oct. 29, the daily said. -- AFP