Situated at the top of a lush hill in Kuala Lumpur, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) headquarters is a large colonial bungalow surrounded by spacious green lawns. At the far end of the compound lies a row of white immaculate cottages which have attracted much attention from the press in the last few days.

Temporarily housed in these cottages are two groups of Burmese immigrants who have refused to leave the UN refugee agency's compound until they obtain documents certifying their status as refugees from Burma.

"We want to stay here until we get the documents. They keep telling us that the UNHCR cannot afford to give all of us asylum. What is the point of having this office here if they do not help us?" asked Ibrahimin Hafiz Ahmad, 31, a Burmese Rohingya who has been living undocumented in Malaysia for the past eight years.

"I have been arrested and deported seven times. I am single because I cannot start a family like this," said the slightly-built man with dark, sad eyes.

The Rohingyas who entered the UNHCR compound this week in two groups one after another were not the only ones that had attempted this drastic action this year. In January, 28 Rohingyas invaded the refugee agency's grounds but upon failing to qualify for asylum, they were arrested by the police and deported to Thailand.

Killed at Burmese border

But the prospect of being arrested appears to leave the Burmese unfazed because all of them have been down the same road.

"If they want to have the police arrest us, there is nothing we can do but to go with them," shrugged Mohd Sabir.

The 29-year-old Rohingya, like most of his Muslim compatriots, had lived through the agony of being held captive in countless illegal immigrants' camps, deported by Malaysian authorities and exploited by human traffickers.

Despite this, he returns to Malaysia each time as no other country is willing to accept him, and others in his predicament, to live peacefully and securely.

"We are afraid of being in Thailand. When we are arrested, it is easy for us to be sent straight back to the Burma border.

"So many people get killed there. It depends on their luck if they live. But we have to pay so many people to stay alive," he said.

Whipping for employers

But life in Malaysia for the Burmese has been no bed of roses either.

"In the eight years that I have been here, I have never been able to work in one place for more than a month.

"We keep having to leave jobs because the employers are afraid that they will be fined RM10,000 for hiring us. Now, they even talk about caning people (employers)," lamented Abdul Razak Mahbul Ahmad, 28, another Rohingya seeking refuge at the UNHCR.

The irony for the Rohingyas is that while they, who have been living here for years, are not allowed to seek employment, the Malaysian government continues to hire migrant workers direct from Burma.

According to strict new laws passed, employers found hiring illegal immigrants now risk mandatory whipping in addition to a RM10,000 fine for each undocumented worker and possibly even a jail term of between six months and five years.

As for illegal immigrants, until recent amendments to the law, only repeat offenders were subject to whipping. However, first-time offenders are now to be whipped as well.

All living in one room

The second group of nine men who barged into the refugee agency's grounds this week has been confined to stay in a small cottage surrounded by a 10m by 5m perimeter fencing.

Asked about the arrangements, the men did not complain, saying only that the cottage may be hot in the daytime but they were given meals by the UNHCR.

"When we have to go to the toilet, we ask the guard to let us out," said Sabir gesturing to a communal toilet situated further inside the compound.

"We did not bring any clothes with us so we try to wash what we have on when it is dirty," he added.

Meanwhile, Din Mohamad, 34, who entered on Monday with the first group of five men, one woman and two children, said the group was allotted a larger cottage in the compound but all of them have been asked to share the same room.

"There are no mats or sheets. We sleep on the floor all in one room," he said.

While several of the Rohingyas managed to bring along a change of clothes, others like Din arrived only with the shirts on their backs.

"I borrowed this shirt from my friend. Everything here is clean only that there is not enough water for us to take a shower," he said.

Family arrested

Standing with Din was Ali, a five-year-old boy staying at the UNHCR with his father, eight-month pregnant mother and three-year-old sister.

Clad only in a pair of shorts because of the afternoon heat, Ali seemed happier since arriving two days ago when he shied away from press photographers.

According to Din, Ali and his sister were both born in Malaysia but neither possesses a birth certificate. And without it, the children will also not be able to go to school in the future.

But things are much worse for another Rohingya family arrested yesterday by police while trying to approach the refugee agency.

According to a source who met the family before their arrest, one of the Rohingya couple's four children is mentally handicapped but could not be taken to local hospitals because of his undocumented status.

"The father was crying emotionally when I met him. He said his family had been evicted by their landlord because they had been unable to pay their rent for the past two months. There is nothing left that he could do," said the source who declined to be named.

In any eventuality, even if all 18 of the Burmese are handed over to Malaysian police, others will likely attempt the same or more drastic action to gain asylum unless a meaningful political solution is found to this human tragedy.

Yap Mun Ching is a member of the malaysiakini team.