BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Brunei), Mar 2 Brunei has defended its tough penalties against illegal immigrants after revealing that nearly 400 foreigners were whipped in the past five years for settling unlawfully in this oil-rich sultanate, a news report said Monday.

Authorities have flogged 396 foreigners with rattan canes for entering Brunei without valid travel documents or overstaying after immigration laws were tightened in 2004, according to Immigration Department data reported by the Borneo Bulletin newspaper.

Those whipped were mainly from other Asian countries, including Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand, the report said.

Human rights groups such as Amnesty International have slammed Brunei's whipping penalties, which are part of its criminal laws and are also used for other offences, including rape, theft and smuggling.

Immigration Department representatives could not be immediately contacted on Monday, but the Borneo Bulletin quoted a senior official as saying that foreign workers must abide by the law.

“We also received inquiries concerning such punishment. Neighbouring countries too carry out such lashes,” the official told the Bulletin. Malaysia and Singapore also have flogging punishments for various crimes.—AP