KL to grant amnesty to illegals

KL to grant amnesty to illegals

MALAYSIA: Kuala Lumpur will grant an amnesty with immediate effect to thousands of illegal immigrants, mainly Indonesians, if they surrender voluntarily, according to a report on Wednesday.

"They will be allowed to return home without being punished," Chor Chee Heung, the Malaysian deputy home minister was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper.

Chor said the amnesty was introduced because under the new proposed amendments to the Immigration Act, illegal immigrants caught could be whipped, "so we are giving them a chance to leave without being punished."

The stiff amendments are expected to be passed during the current sitting of the legislature. Malaysia granted a similar amnesty in 1998.

On March 10, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the government had no intention to hold illegal immigrants at detention centers for long periods because it was costly. --AFP