(AFP) - The government has announced plans to deport about 10,000 illegal Indonesian immigrants every month.

Jakarta has agreed to provide transport while Malaysia will bear the repatriation cost of RM170 per person, said Deputy Home Affairs Minister Zainal Abidin Zin.

He told reporters outside Parliament late yesterday that about 2,500 illegals were expected to be sent back every week on Indonesian naval ships.

The first repatriation took place last week, Bernama quoted Zainal as saying.

He said there were about 450,000 Indonesian illegal immigrants in the country.