Kuala Lumpur  -  Sixty Myanmar nationals torched a Malaysian detention centre and threatened to attack immigration officials after they were told that their application to move to another country was unsuccessful, a local daily reported Monday.

The rioters, who were seeking political asylum, entered the detention centre's office building early Monday and destroyed office equipment as well as set the building on fire before more than 200 police and immigration officers arrived to control the situation, central Negeri Sembilan state police chief Osman Abdullah was quoted as saying by the Star daily.

"They set fire at the ground floor causing damage to office furniture and computers," said Osman, adding that nobody was hurt in the incident.

"The authorities tried talking to them but a short while later, they turned violent and then gained entry into the office and set it ablaze," he said.

A total of 60 Myanmar nationals, all males, out of the total 218 living in the detention camp were involved in the rioting.

"We are still investigating the cause, but at this point in time, all I can say is that they were unhappy because they heard that their application to a third country had been rejected," he said.

Malaysia is believed to be home to tens of thousands of immigrants from Myanmar who enter the country to seek political asylum. (dpa)