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Kota Baru: About 13,000 of the 43,000 prisoners and detainees in the country's prisons and detention centres are Indonesians and Filipinos.Prisons Department director of security Wan Mohamad Nazarie Wan Mahmood said the large number of foreign prisoners and detainees had caused severe congestion in prisons, especially in Tawau, Sandakan and Sungai Buloh.

The increase in the prison population also reduced the wardens to prisoners ratio to 1:4 instead of the planned 1:3, he told reporters after witnessing the handing over of duty at the Pengkalan Chepa prison.

Senior Superintendent Abdul Basir Mohamad has taken over as director of the prison, replacing Kushairi Manap who was transfered as director of Kluang prison in Johor.

Mohamad Nazarie said the government was building another six prisons and moral rehabilitation centres in Kuching (Sarawak), Bentong (Pahang), Machang (Kelantan), Sungai Udang (Melaka), Perlis and Penang to cope with the rising number of prisoners and detainees. - Bernama