The police have arrested 33 Indonesian workers in connection with a bloody weekend attack that killed three people, including a small child, reports said today.

The suspects were arrested during a six-hour police operation at Kampung Asli Kecil and Kampung Jaya Sepakat near the town of Banting, district police chief Shah Gzali Khan told The Star newspaper.

Hacked to death

They were arrested for the murders of Mohamad Asidar, 20, Affendi Ali, 30 and his 18-month-old daughter Nurul Izati, who were hacked to death on Sunday, he said.

Affendi's pregnant wife, Kadijah Omar, 30, survived the attack but sustained serious head injuries.

The Bernama news agency said late yesterday that the attack was in retaliation for an assault on an Indonesian worker from Aceh province by a worker from the island of Flores. - AFP