Amnesty International urged Malaysia to halt the planned deportation

Amnesty International urged Malaysia to halt the planned deportation of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, saying some could face execution or torture in their home countries.
Migrants from Myanmar, Nepal and the Indonesian province of Aceh could be subjected to serious human rights violations if they were sent home in a crackdown due to begin on March 1, the organisation said.
"We remain gravely concerned that refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants caught up in any large-scale deportation operation are still at risk of serious human rights violations," Amnesty said in an open letter to Malaysia's Home Affairs Minister Azmi Khalid.
The organisation urged Malaysia not to return any Acehnese to Indonesia, "where they remain at risk of extrajudicial executions, torture and arbitrary detention."
Most illegal immigrants in Malaysia are from Indonesia, many of them from Aceh province, the area worst hit by the December 26 tsunami and also the scene of a long-running separatist rebellion.
"In view of the continuing humanitarian crisis in Aceh, the well-being of all Acehnese returned to Aceh remains of compelling concern," Amnesty said.
"The unstable political situation in Nepal, where a nationwide state of emergency was declared on February 1, may place deported Nepalese migrants at greater risk of serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions, torture and arbitrary arrest." Amnesty also urged the Malaysian government not to "forcibly return any asylum-seekers or refugees to Myanmar, where they remain at risk of serious human rights violations."