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