NO FUNDS TO REPATRIATE FOREIGN PRISONERS

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- The country does not have any allocation to repatriate foreign convicted persons both before or after they have served their sentences, the Lower House of Parliament was told Wednesday.

Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung said his ministry and the Prisons Department were studying a proposal for the government to implement a programme to repatriate prisoners to their home countries as was done by somecountries.

Chor said the proposal could reduce the number of foreign prisoners in thecountry's jails and thereby reduce the cost of holding them.

He said there were about 15,000 foreign prisoners.

"Other than that Malaysians serving prison sentences abroad can be brought back to serve their sentences here," Chor said in reply to a question by DatukDr Mohamad Shahrum Osman (BN-Lipis).

Chor said as of Aug 4 the country had 29 prisons that held 37,717prisoners.

This figure represents an excess of 8,617 orang or 29.6 per cent more thanactual capacity of 29,100 prisoners only," he said.

Chor said the Prisons Department had drawn up several long and short termmeasures to overcome the overcrowding.