Malaysia warns immigrants from Myanmar not to restart violence that killed 4, caused crackdown

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysia's government has warned immigrants from neighboring Myanmar not to restart sectarian clashes that recently killed four people.

The fighting in several neighborhoods around Kuala Lumpur earlier this month triggered worries in Malaysia that tensions between Myanmar's Buddhists and Muslim minority had spilled over to a country that hosts hundreds of thousands of Myanmar nationals.

Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Jaafar says officials are holding 250 Myanmar citizens from a security sweep following the violence because they were found without valid immigration documents. It was not clear whether they would be charged in court or deported.

Wan Junaidi said after a meeting with Myanmar's deputy foreign minister in Malaysia on Thursday that Myanmar nationals working in Malaysia must respect the law.