Kuala Lumpur - Police in northern Malaysia have detained 17 Myanmar nationals caught crammed into a car believed to be bringing the men to the capital Kuala Lumpur for work as illegal migrants, news reports said Wednesday.

The vehicle had sped past a roadblock in the northern Kelantan state early Tuesday, leading to a 30-minute high-speed chase, state anti-smuggling chief Mazlan Che Hamid was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times daily.

After police rammed the vehicle several times, the car was forced to stop.

Police discovered the 17 Myanmar men, believed to have entered the country via illegal boat jetties in the state, crammed into the back seat of the car.

However, the driver and his assistant, suspected to be locals, managed to escape, said Mazlan.

The illegal immigrants were sent to a nearby detention centre where they await deportation, he said.

Malaysia is home to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly from its South-East Asian neighbours. (dpa)