http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailtoplatest.asp?fileid=20070418121853&irec=0
10 RELA members held for robbing Indonesian workers KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Ten members of the Malaysia'scontroversial baton-wielding volunteer reserve, or RELA, were detained for robbing Indonesian workers, reports say. The incident occurred in Taman Song Choon when a group of RELA men came to hostel occupied by Indonesian workers to conduct a search early Tuesday. The workers became suspicious and one of them alerted the police, The Star daily reported Wednesday. Three days earlier, the same RELA members had searched the workers' hostel, but when they left, items such as a table fan, rice cooker and two mobile phones were found to be missing. Antara news agency reported that the RELA members age between 20 and 40 years were in full uniform when they pretended to carry out raid against illegal workers. They, however, were not provided with a document, which authorized them to carry out their jobs. Spokesman of the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur Eka A. Suripto expressed his appreciation to the police, who followed up reports from workers that their goods often went missing after RELA's raids. "We have also reported such information to the central board of RELA," Eka was quoted by Antara news agency as saying, Wednesday. In order to tackle the immigration issue, the government has mobilized People's Volunteer Corps, or RELA. They are given wide powers to aid the authorities in dealing with migrant workers onthe ground that enforcement operations will be more effective with the help from local people who volunteered in RELA. However, the reality reveals that misuse of power by the untrained voluntary corps has become a worrying trend. Migrant workers and refugees were often assaulted and humiliated during the RELA operations
