Eight of the11 protestors arrested outside the Burmese embassy in Kuala Lumpur yesterday were asylum seekers registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and are being considered for refugee status.

Speaking on behalf of UNHCR chief Volker Turk, an official said today the agency is negotiating with the police to gain access to the detainees and prevent them from being charged under immigration laws.

"They will probably be charged with illegal assembly," added the official when contacted.

The protestors are currently being held at the Jalan Pudu police station.

Under Malaysian law, a gathering of more than three people without a police permit is deemed an illegal gathering.

Contacted later, Cheras district police chief Mohamad Noor Masdar said he has not been briefed on the latest development.

Protest for student leader

The protest outside the embassy which began at 9.30am, was the latest in a series of numerous demonstrations staged there in recent times.

According to one of the protestors who managed to evade arrest, the protest was staged to call for the release of Min Ko Naing @ Paw U Tun, a pro-democracy student leader who is being held in jail by the Burmese military government for the past 15 years.

"He was a famous leader during the student democracy uprising in 1988 and has been in jail since 1989, serving a 20 year prison term for his non-violent struggle," he said when contacted.

The human rights situation in Burma continues to receive worldwide criticism especially with democracy icon and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi remaining under house arrest.

There are also more than 1,300 pro-democracy leaders and supporters languishing in Burmese jails, whom human rights organisation Amnesty International has dubbed 'prisoners of conscience'.