Human rights commissioners will visit Sri Lankan refugees being held at the Pekan Nenas immigration detention camp next week, to probe an allegation that several of them were physically abused by officials of their high commission.

Commissioner N Siva Subramaniam said the allegations are very serious and that a team is being set up to probe the claim.

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"We will visit the camp as soon as we can," said Siva Subramaniam ( left ) when contacted, adding that his team will also look into allegations that several detainees are currently on a hunger strike.

Human rights watchdog group Suaram had said yesterday that the refugees had been physically abused while being coerced to sign repatriation agreements.

The deputy high commissioner rubbished the allegation, saying that repatriation is a matter for the Malaysian authorities to handle.

There are conflicting figures over the number of detainees and the circumstances of their detention. While Suaram set the figure at 108, the high commission said about 90 have been detained.

One version of their arrival in Malaysia is that they are Tamils who had fled northern Sri Lanka during the military offensive against the Tamil Tigers separatist movement.

However, the high commission has described them as victims of a human trafficking syndicate who were detained here before they could be sent to Australia.

Repeated attempts to obtain clarification from Immigration Department officials in Putrajaya and Johor did not succeed.

‘They fear repatriation'

Suaram said the detainees hold documents certifying their status as refugees, issued by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

Johor-based human rights and welfare group Persahabatan Semparuthi said the detainees are seeking the intervention of the UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur. refugee family outside unhcr 061004 sister and baby

"They say they don't want to go back to Sri Lanka. Some of their family members are in jail. They don't want to go back because they fear that they may be subjected to detention also," said Persahabatan Semparuthi coordinator E Silvarajah.

Silvarajah and members of his NGO managed to speak to some of the refugees when they visited the camp in a personal capacity yesterday.

When contacted, UNHCR spokesperson Yante Ismail said the agency is investigating the matter, but did not elaborate.