KL crackdown on illegal immigrants starts Mar 1

The new deadline, which could see hundreds of thousands of illegal workers jailed, whipped or deported, will mark the end of an amnesty which has twice been extended at Indonesia's request.

Abdullah made the announcement at a joint news conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after the two leaders held a private meeting followed by discussions with their ministerial delegations.

"The soft operation to advise illegals to return home will continue until the end of February. We hope by then, all illegals will return home," Abdullah said.

"Because from March 1 we will crack down on the illegals. We hope we will not have to carry out the tough operation."

The planned crackdown, which will involve more than half-a-million officials and civilian security force volunteers in a nationwide sweep, has been widely criticised by human rights groups which say it is open to abuse.

Abdullah said Malaysia would continue to employ Indonesians as long as they were in the country legally, and would introduce a new systen to fingerprint all foreign workers to ensure that illegals were weeded out.

"I thank Malaysia for allowing Indonesian workers to work in Malaysia," Yudhoyono said. "This surely helps them to earn an income and also their contribution helps in the development of Malaysia.

"The problem now is how can we resolve their illegal problem? The Indonesian authorities will ensure those who exit Indonesia will come with valid travel documents," he said.

Yudhoyono also referred to complaints by some Indonesian workers that their Malaysian employers were refusing to pay their salaries before their forced departure from the country.

"We leave it to the Malaysian authorities to find a way to resolve the issue of unpaid Indonesian workers," he said, without mentioning a reported threat by Jakarta to sue the employers in the Malaysian courts.

"I am sure if the two issues can be resolved, we can resolve the illegal problem. We hope by March, these fundamental problems can be resolved."