RI Embassy told to help nationals

RI Embassy told to help nationals

MEDAN, North Sumatra: A legal activist demanded on Saturday
that the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur help secure the
release of 140 Indonesians arrested by the Malaysian authorities.

The Indonesians were arrested in Malaysia for failing to have
the necessary documents.

"The 140 Indonesians must be released and returned to
Indonesia," the director of the Medan chapter of the Legal Aid
Institute, Irham Buana Nasution, said.

The 140 Indonesians -- 124 from Aceh, 11 from Flores and five
from Java -- are being held in Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan state,
where they are facing prosecution.

Irham said that even if the Indonesians did enter Malaysia
without the proper documents, the Indonesian Embassy was
obligated to help secure their release.

The Indonesian Embassy should engage in diplomacy to persuade
the Malaysian government to free the Indonesians and return them
home, he said. -- Antara