MEDAN, July 16 — A Malaysian man set himself on fire in front of the Belawan immigration office here yesterday in protest against his deportation to Malaysia.

The Associated Press reported that Pannir Selvam Gopal had entered Indonesia without any legal documents and was to be deported yesterday. He had been living in Medan for a year.

An immigration officer put out the flames and called for medical assistance for Gopal, the news agency reported.

“We detained him based on a neighbour’s report,” AP quoted immigration office head Sunardi as saying. “However, now we’ll have to postpone the deportation since he is still being treated at Belawan Naval Hospital.”

The Malaysian consul general in Medan, Nor Azhar Hajis, confirmed the report. He said he had dispatched an officer to investigate.

“The emissary will check to determine the background of the incident,” he was quoted as saying.