KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9, 2007 (AFP) - Indonesia has condemned the arrest of the wife of one of its diplomats in Malaysia who was accused of being an illegal migrant.

Muslianah Nurdin, wife of Indonesia's education and culture attache, was detained last Wednesday while shopping in Kuala Lumpur despite showing her identification, the Indonesian embassy said in a statement late Monday.

The embassy did not say how long she was held in custody.

She was detained by members of a 400,000-strong volunteer force deployed nationwide to hunt down illegal immigrants. Its officers have frequently been accused of using excessive force.

The incident comes shortly after Malaysia formally apologised to Indonesia over the alleged assault of an Indonesian karate referee by police in August, an incident that sparked a furore in Indonesia.

About two million Indonesians work in Malaysia, both legally and illegally.

Their presence is a major source of conflict in relations between the neighbours.

Is this article useful to you?