Malaysia wants 25,600 Aceh tsunami refugees to go

Malaysia has ordered more than 25,000 refugees who fled Indonesia's Aceh province after the 2004 Asian tsunami to leave by early January, an official said Tuesday.

Authorities will deport any Acehnese migrants who remain illegally in Malaysia beyond Jan. 5, said Ishak Mohamed, enforcement director of the Immigration Department.

About 40,000 people from Aceh came to neighboring Malaysia after a giant quake off their province spawned the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 130,000 people in Indonesia alone.

"We allowed them to work here (for humanitarian reasons) because we are helping them to earn money for their families to rebuild their homes," Ishak said.

Thousands of Acehnese have returned home since 2005, but officials estimate there are still 25,593 here, working mainly in low-paying jobs on construction sites, plantations, factories and restaurants.

Malaysia's government has been trying to reduce its reliance on migrant workers amid concerns that they contribute to crime and unemployment among Malaysians.

Authorities earlier this month launched a crackdown to expel more than 130,000 mostly Indonesian and Filipino illegal immigrants in an eastern state on Borneo island.

Eka Suripto, an official at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, said Malaysian immigration officials recently informed diplomats about plans to curb the number of Acehnese, but he did not have further details. (and)