Indonesian protesters topple gate at Malaysian embassy
JAKARTA - An Indonesian group protesting Kuala Lumpur's decision to whip illegal immigrants toppled the main gate of the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta on Monday.
And in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysians were advised to avoid travelling to Indonesia because of anger there over Malaysia's treatment of illegal immigrants.
"Don't travel (to Indonesia) unless it is necessary," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.
In Jakarta, about 40 demonstrators chanted slogans and set fire to a Malaysian flag in addition to pushing down the gate. Police stopped them from entering the grounds and a small delegation later handed over a protest letter to an embassy official.
The letter called for an end to Malaysia's "inhuman" caning and fining of illegal workers. It demanded the Indonesian government sever diplomatic relations if Malaysia continues to punish Indonesian workers who are trying to return home.
It threatened to open a "Crush Malaysia" front similar to the one which founding president Sukarno employed during his military confrontation with Malaysia in the mid-1960s.
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