Malaysia seeks RI, RP's help

Malaysia seeks RI, RP's help

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will seek cooperation from neighboring Indonesia and the Philippines to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the country, following a recent mass deportation exercise, a junior minister said Saturday.

"We will request Indonesia and the Philippines to beef up security, especially in waters off Sabah," Deputy Defense Minister Mohamed Shafie Apdal was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

Eastern Sabah state on Borneo island shares a land and sea border with the two Southeast Asian countries.

Mohamed said the measures were to prevent deported illegal immigrants from sneaking back into Malaysia through their common border.

Malaysian security forces have been placed on alert and surveillance aircraft have been deployed to prevent border intrusions, the minister said.

"I've just returned from inspection of several locations in Sabah and the situation is fully under control. Our personnel have been stationed at strategic locations," he said in the northern state of Perak. -- AFP