Corpun file 19914

Straits Times, Singapore, 25 December 2007

68 illegal workers caned in Brunei

Associated Press

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Brunei whipped 68 foreign workers for immigration offences this year amid mounting efforts to stop migrants from settling illegally in the sultanate, a news report said yesterday.

The authorities carried out 1,934 checks on foreigners between January and mid-December, up from 1,658 last year, according to Immigration Department data reported by the Borneo Bulletin newspaper.

Whipping convictions involve foreigners mainly from other Asian countries, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand.

Brunei toughened its laws in 2004 to allow the whipping of people caught entering the country illegally or overstaying their visas. Most receive three lashes with rattan canes and are jailed for three months.