S'pore rejects hundreds of Indonesians

S'pore rejects hundreds of Indonesians

INDONESIA: More than 300 Indonesians have been denied entry to
Singapore and Malaysia via Batam in Riau province since January,
amid rising fears of terrorist attacks in the two neighboring
countries, a local immigration official said on Saturday.

Wachdijat, a senior official at the Batam immigration office,
said a total of 307 Indonesians were refused entry to Malaysia
and Singapore due to concerns that they could pose a security
threat.

He did not rule out the possibility that the refusal was
related to recent statements made by former Singapore prime
minister Lee Kuan Yew that his country remained vulnerable to
terror attacks because terrorist leaders still roamed freely in
Indonesia.

Lee's statement has soured bilateral relations between
Singapore and Indonesia.

Wachdijat said the Indonesians in question had no clear
purpose to travel to Singapore and Malaysia, which have tightened
security against incoming foreign citizens.

The refusal of Malaysia's authorities to allow 48 Indonesians
to enter their country followed a recent riot blamed on
Indonesian illegal workers.

The unrest prompted Kuala Lumpur to tighten control over
Indonesian passport holders intending to come to Malaysia to seek
employment. -- JP