Malaysia will study the request made by the Australian government to tighten immigration controls and issuance of visas to prevent human trafficking and the problem of boat people, Prime Minister Najib Razak said today.

kevin rudd australia pm 150208 He said the request was conveyed by his Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd (left) , during their bilateral meeting after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yodhoyono in Jakarta.

"The meeting was convened upon Rudd's request. He also expressed his satisfaction with the good bilateral ties between our two countries," Najib said at a press conference with the Malaysian media.

Specifically, Najib said, Rudd had raised several issues including Australia's concern about the problem of boat people, who were making Malaysia their transit point before making their way illegally into Australia.

A recent example, he said was concerning a group of Sri Lankan boat people who entered Malaysia on their way to Australia, but ended detained by the Indonesian authorities.

He said among the preventive measures that could be considered by Malaysia were by increasing the number of immigration officers at certain countries, who would scrutinise the visa applications to Malaysia, so that tourism and human trafficking activities could be clearly ascertained.

Sri Lanka's stability affected

The Prime Minister said it was learnt that the human trafficking activities had become rampant because of the handsome profit, as the traffickers would charge between US$15,000 and US$20,000 for each Sri Lankan who wanted to enter Australia.

"This is also linked to Sri Lanka's internal stability. If the Sri Lankan government can assure that the Tamils there can integrate in the country's development, the possibility of them becoming boat people will be reduced," he said.

Najib said they also discussed about Australia's offer to help Malaysia in enhancing vocational education for school leavers.

"Prime Minister Rudd will send his officials to Kuala Lumpur to discuss further about the offer soon," he said, adding that they had also deliberated on relevant issues for the East Asia Summit and Copenhagen's climate change conference.

Najib, accompanied by his wife, Rosmah Mansor, will return to Kuala Lumpur later today.

- Bernama