The human rights group Amnesty International today 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 Burma, 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 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 Dec 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 Feb 1, may place deported Nepalese migrants at greater risk of serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions, torture and arbitrary arrest."

Risks of abuse

Amnesty also urged the Malaysian government not to "forcibly return any asylum-seekers or refugees to Myanmar (Burma), where they remain at risk of serious human rights violations."

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced Monday after talks with the visiting Indonesian president that the government would crack down hard on illegal immigrants from March 1.

The new deadline marks the end of an amnesty which has twice been extended at Indonesia's request.

The planned crackdown will involve more than half-a-million officials and civilian members of the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) security organisation in a nationwide sweep.

Amnesty said "the risk of abuses due to poor training and lack of accountability have increased in light of recent reports that the authorities intend to equip members of the People's Volunteer Corps with firearms."

Before the amnesty began on Oct 29 last year, Malaysia estimated there were more than a million illegal workers in the country, mostly from Indonesia but also from the Philippines, Burma, Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka.

Nearly 400,000, mostly Indonesians, left without facing any penalty during the first three months of the amnesty. But others have remained, clinging to jobs in the construction, plantation and service industries in the face of unemployment at home.

"While we recognize the Malaysian government's sovereign right to control its borders, we appeal to you to halt any deportations until it can be guaranteed that the fundamental human rights of all refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants, including undocumented migrants, will be respected in this process," Amnesty said.