Burmese refugee Tial Kio was released last month from the Lenggeng immigration detention depot in Negri Sembilan, but his pregnant wife was not as fortunate.

Tha Tin Sui, 24, remains in custody and is due to deliver their first child on March 23.

Tial, 28, alleged that Immigration officers, who contacted him about her due date, have demanded RM300.

He does not know what the money is for but said that he cannot afford to pay up.

"I have no job and I have no money," he told Malaysiakini through an interpreter, in seeking assistance.

The couple was arrested on Aug 1 last year and convicted of immigration offences. They were initially held at Kajang prison, and then moved to the Semenyih immigration detention camp before being sent to Lenggeng on Dec 31 last year.

malaysia worst refugees place 180609 03 Tial then secured his release with the help of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kuala Lumpur.

During his seven months in detention, they met just once - he was allowed to see Tha prior to his release in February.

Since his release, he has not visited her as he does not have the means to do so. The detention camp is 35km from Seremban and he now lives in Cheras.

"At the time of our arrest, we did not know that Tha was pregnant . We only found out while in detention," he said.

"I was told that my wife has not received any medical attention, her health has deteriorated and her body is swollen. There is not much food and nutrition as she is only given plain rice with salted fish twice daily and eggs twice a week."

‘Don't pay' advice

When contacted, a senior immigration official stressed that payment is not collected from detainees as the government bears the cost of medical treatment.

"Who is the official who asked for the money? Tell me the name so we can verify this," he said, stressing that payment should not be made to anyone.

He also denied that the health needs of pregnant detainees are neglected.

"Once a detainee is discovered to be pregnant, we sent her for regular check-ups at nearby government clinics. She is given supplements and medication by the doctors," he said.

"A team of government doctors comes to the camp every fortnight to monitor the health condition of all detainees. Volunteers and NGOs also conduct clinics in the camp."

Asked why Tial was not allowed to meet his wife while in the Lenggeng camp, the official expressed surprise as there is a special programme for married couples to meet every weekend.

The officer said another pregnant Burmese detainee is due to deliver at the end of the month.

UNHCR external relations officer Yante Ismail, when contacted, said pregnant detainees are usually given priority when it comes to securing their release.

She said the agency has been aware of Tha's detention from the start and that it has undertaken all the administrative procedures required in order to secure her release.

The UNHCR lost track of her after she was moved out of Kajang Prison - partly because her name was registered differently from the agency's records - but it located her recently.