Malaysians warned about orphans

Malaysians warned about orphans

MALAYSIA: Malaysians hoping to adopt children were urged by authorities on Wednesday to beware of traffickers, who might try to sell youngsters left orphaned after neighboring Indonesia's quake-and-tsunami disaster.

The government has no evidence so far that children from Sumatra island have been smuggled illegally into Malaysia over the past week, but people should use official channels if they want to adopt children, said Malaysian Immigration Department Enforcement Director Ishak Mohamed.

"Those hoping to adopt should be cautious to prevent various problems from surfacing," Ishak was quoted as saying by the national news agency, Bernama.

His comments come amid concerns by child welfare groups such as UNICEF, that child-trafficking gangs, which are well- entrenched in Indonesia are spiriting orphaned children into forced labor or sexual slavery in richer neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. -- AP