ALOR SETAR, April 22 — Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the Rohingya detainees who escaped from the Sungai Bakap Immigration Detention Depot on April 20 are not capable of harming local residents.

He added that the escapees had no clear idea of what to do next and were ignorant of the situation in the country.

"I understand that they had been detained in the depot for two years in a crowded place. I am not sure about the issue that occurred in the depot.

"I believe the Rohingyas who are still on the run are not a threat. They just want to survive. Criminals such as drug dealers are the real threat,” he told Bernama here today.

In the 4.30am incident on Wednesday, 528 Rohingya detainees escaped from the depot following a riot. Six of them died after being hit by vehicles on the North-South Expressway.

As of 6am today, 96 detainees have not been found. — Bernama