Malaysia secures coast to stop people smuggling

Malaysia is deploying helicopters, boats and an aircraft along its coast to catch a rising number of suspected illegal immigrants from Afghanistan and Pakistan, some of whom may have drowned during their perilous boat journeys.

But the saga of the South Asian migrants comes with a twist _ they are not trying to enter Malaysia illegally. Instead they are leaving Malaysia illegally on small overcrowded boats to sneak into Indonesia, most likely en route to Australia where they hope to eventually get asylum, officials said in interviews this week.

Many Indonesians, who work here without permits or overstay their visas, also use the boats to exit illegally.

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