Thousands of workers from the Philippines face arrest in Malaysia for working illegally, following the expiry of an amnesty on Saturday.

Those detained as a result are likely to be fined and then repatriated.

Reports say there are believed to be about one-hundred-thousand illegal Filipino workers -- most of them in the east Malaysian state of Sabah.

The crackdown was launched as a response to the financial crisis in Asia -- the Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir Mohammad, was quoted as saying yesterday that substantial funds could be saved by reducing dependence on foreign workers and sending fewer students abroad.