REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PEKANBARU -- People living at the Rupat Selatan beach of Bengkalis, Riau, were shocked to find six human skeletons lying on the sandy beach.

The skeletons were believed to belong to illegal Indonesian migrant workers fleeing Malaysia recently.

Malaysian authorities are hunting for illegal migrant workers. Thousands of Indonesian workers have been sent to jail for six months before being deported.

"We already received report from local people late February about human skeletons on the beach. It turned out the report is true," head of sea police unit of the Bengkalis district police Adj. Comr Angga Erlambang told reporters here on Tuesday.

Angga said autopsy had been made of the skeletons and the conclusion from the examination was that they were migrant workers fleeing Malaysia.

They chose illegal way to return home rather than serving jail term but unfortunately they met accident in the sea with their boat sinking, a police officer said.

Police found an identity card in the pockets of one the skeletons, a woman by the name of Arnin from Lampung.

Earlier fisherman found a human skeleton on the beach of Rokan Hilir, also believed to be a fleeing migrant workers who was a victim of sea accident.

"Probably as they did not want to be sent to jail, they fled but their boat failed to bring them to safety across the sea," Angga said.

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