More illegal Burmese crawl into UN refugee agency compound in desperation

comments     Yap Mun Ching     Published     Updated

Not two days after 18 Burmese were arrested by the police at the United Nations' refugee agency, another Burmese group entered the compound today out of desperation after their homes were raided by enforcement authorities.

Eleven men from the Burmese Rohingya community pulled an opening at the perimeter fence of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and crawled into the compound at about 4.30am.

When met this morning, the group said they were aware of the arrests made two days ago but decided to proceed with the action anyway because they had nowhere else to turn to.

"The police raided the area where we lived. Some people were arrested," said Mohd Khan, 35.

"We cannot find any jobs so we have been evicted from our homes. We do not want to leave this place (UNHCR). We would rather die here," added Matul Husin, 23.

The Rohingyas are an ethnic minority Muslim group from Burma's northwestern Arakan state who claim ethnic and religious persecution by the Rangoon military government.

More arrested

According to the Burmese at UNHCR today, there has also been an increase in the frequency of police arrests of late.

"Some people returned (after being deported to Thailand) only three weeks ago but they are arrested again. We know the law does not allow us to be in Malaysia but if we return to Burma, we will be killed," claimed Matul.

Khan said the Burmese army regularly checks at his family home in his village in Arakan to see if he has returned.

"Once you have left, you cannot return anymore. The military claims that we are not Burmese anymore. They even struck out my name from the birth registrar," he stressed.

"My brother died at their hands three years ago. My father was beaten. Since I was in Form Three, I was forced to build roads for them," said Khan, visibly distressed.

Asked whether they knew that they would not be immune even with UNHCR-recognition letters, the men said they had been informed that the Malaysian government does not recognise the papers.

"We ask then that they send us to a place where we can live," pleaded Fayas Ahmad, a 39-year-old Rohingya whose wife and two-month-old child now live with friends.

Fayas, who has three other children in his home village, said he has been unable to bring his children to Malaysia or return to visit them since leaving Burma several years ago.

Meanwhile, since the incident this morning, two policemen have been posted guard outside the UNHCR gate.

According to a police officer, Malaysian authorities have not been asked to take any action against the group of Rohingyas but added that the law does not allow for illegal immigrants to remain in the country.

When contacted later, UNHCR Protection Officer Shinji Kubo said the agency will apply the same process to interview the new arrivals as was done with the earlier cases.

Seeking appointments

"We will also engage other parties, such as the government of Malaysia and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam)," said Kubo adding that the agency is currently seeking appointments with the foreign affairs and home affairs ministries to discuss the issue of the Rohingyas' presence in Malaysia.

On Tuesday, a group of Rohingyas, including one pregnant woman and two children, was arrested by police and sent to the Semenyih illegal immigrants' detention camp after staying a week at the UNHCR.

Despite the police arrest, more asylum seekers are expected to attempt similar actions as the blanket amnesty offered for illegal immigrants to leave the country expires on July 31.

Under new provisions in the Immigration Act, illegal migrants risk whipping and a maximum fine of RM10,000 or a jail term not exceeding five years.

The law also states that those hiring illegals are liable to fines of between RM10,000 and RM50,000 per employee and a jail term not exceeding one year. Employers hiring more than five undocumented workers would also be liable for mandatory whipping.



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