A Nepalese man was caned and spent 51 days in Kajang prison as an illegal immigrant although he had a valid work permit, a newspaper reported today.

He was caught up in a major crackdown on illegal workers launched in March and was only released after the intervention of a friend and a human rights group, the Malay Mail said .

Mangal Bahadur Gurung, 30, a restaurant worker who spoke only halting Malay, was sentenced to 10 months in jail and one stroke of the cane after being arrested on March 6.

System opened to abuse

The caning was carried out and he remained in prison until Thursday, when a court set aside his conviction and ordered his immediate release after the Tenanganita rights group took up his case.

Several human rights groups, including Amnesty International, warned ahead of the crackdown that the system was open to abuse, particularly as civilian volunteers would be used in rounding up migrants.

In the first two months of the operation, which began March 1, some 6,500 illegal workers, mainly from Indonesia, India and Myanmar, were detained nationwide, officials said.

Some have been deported, while others have been sentenced to jail terms and whipping.

Gurung told the Malay Mail after his release that he now wanted to return to Nepal.