Scores of Indonesian and Pakistani illegal immigrants rioted in a Malaysian detention centre in Sabah today, leaving two officers wounded, officials said.

The detainees were angered by delays in bringing their former employers to trial, which has kept them behind bars for five months, a report said.

Scores of the 168 inmates went on a rampage about 11am at the Menggatal Detention Depot, 25km from Kota Kinabalu.

They climbed a fence and broke into the centre's immigration office, state Immigration Department Enforcement Chief Fareed Abdullah was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

"Two officers sustained minor injuries while trying to prevent them from entering the office," Fareed said.

Riot lasts for 15 minutes

The riot ended within about 15 minutes, when wardens and immigration officers coaxed the detainees into returning to their blocks, where they were to continue their wait for the case to go to trial.

"We have to keep them longer as they are required as witnesses in court," Fareed was quoted as saying. "It is not that we deliberately want to delay their repatriation process."

Acting district police chief Wong Chong Fooi said 50 police from Kota Kinabalu city headquarters had been sent to the scene, but officers and wardens had already brought the situation under control.

Malaysia is one of Asia's largest importers of foreign labour. Foreign workers, both legal and illegal, number around 2.6 million of its 10.5 million-strong workforce.