At least 90 people died in the Malaysian detention camps for illegal immigrants during the last three years, said Sivarasa Rasiah. a lawyer and human rights activist of that country. Quoting official figures released there.

Malaysia had set up nine detention camps. Rasiah said, adding that the death toll of Bangladeshi immigrants was

almost half of the total number, officially confirmed so far.

The actual situation in the detention camps is yet to be known" but according to information received from secondary sources it was improving. Rasiah said.

Rasiah came to Dhaka recently to see the family members of some of the Bangladeshis who died in the detention camps in Malaysia. He also met family members of some of those who are learnt to have been detained there

Indonesia. Bangladesh, the Philippines. India and Sri Lanka provide the bulk of the foreign labour force required by Malaysia.

The Malaysian government recently took stern a< against illegal workers coming from other countries. The authorities had legalised a total of about 1.2 million illegal workers.

Many Bangladeshis are waiting at the detention camps for deportation, said Raslah, adding a "large number of Bangladeshis are stuck up In the Jungles on the border of Thailand and Malaysia." Asked about their number, Rasiah said Malaysian police believe it would not be less than 20,000.

The Malaysian authorities also blamed the migrant workers for various social problems and criminal activities In that country.

According to Raslah, the number of marriages between Bangladeshis and Malaysians would not be more than 1000 and it was not even 10 per cent of the number of marriages between Indonesians and Malaysians.