Amnesty International Malaysia today condemned the raid on foreign settlements in Sepang where the police torched temporary shelters when arresting refugees and asylum-seekers.

The organisation expressed their concern over the arrest of about 130 documented and undocumented foreigners, including those with refugee status papers.

"In a rush to deport 'illegal immigrants' the government has lost sight of the fact that they are first and foremost human beings entitled to certain rights and a minimum standard of treatment to live in dignity," it said in a statement.

International human rights law ensures refugees the same rights as citizens such as the right to housing enshrined in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Yesterday, a leader of 12 Acehnese communities in Malaysia said those holding temporary protection papers issued by United Nation's High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Kuala Lumpur were also arrested in the raid.

Attempts to obtain details and comments from the police proved futile as acting Sepang police chief Wan Ariffin Wan Ahmad is said to be in a 'lengthy meeting'.

Contacted this afternoon, UNHCR revealed that of those detained, 110 are being held at the Lenggeng detention centre while the rest are in Semenyih.

Immediate access

"Out of this numbers, UNHCR is still unaware of how many are in possession of protection letters but the agency will interview those who haven't been registered to ascertain if they are person's of concern," said an official on behalf of UNHCR chief Volker Turk.

Meanwhile, Amnesty called for the 'immediate and unconditional' release of all asylum seekers and refugees unless they are charged with a recognisable criminal offence.

"Freedom from arbitrary detention is a fundamental human right and in the case of vulnerable individuals such as refugees and asylum-seekers, there should be a presumption against detention.

"The authorities should ensure that (these foreigners) are not inhibited in any way from pursuing asylum claims and that the UNHCR should be permitted immediate access to these refugees," added the United Kingdom based international organisation.

The organisation also expressed concern with the government's practice of "detaining asylum-seekers and refugees without legitimate reason and without a prompt, fair, individual hearing before a judicial or other similar competent, impartial and independent authority".

Array of violations

Those arrested yesterday were mainly Acehnese while some were Burmese-Chins and there were also those from other parts of Indonesia.

In its recent report on Aceh, Amnesty International highlighted an array of violations against asylum seekers and refugees including constant threats of arrest, detention, imprisonment and corporal punishment.

These people also run the risk of harassment and extortion by the police which occurs in Malaysia as well.

Hundreds of Achenese have been arrested in Malaysia during the last year.

"While UNHCR has intervened successfully in some cases to bring about their release, some have been put on trial for immigration offences and many others have been sent to immigration detention centres pending deportation or - in a very limited number of cases - resettled in a third country," said Amnesty.

Malaysia, a non-signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951, continues to refuse official recognition of refugees and has stepped-up efforts to deport 'illegal immigrants'.