Rohingyas fail in attempt to seek asylum at US embassy
Seven Burmese Rohingya men were arrested when they attempted to scale the gates of the United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur in a bid to seek asylum early this morning.
They were arrested at about 4.45am by police personnel stationed outside the mission, but seven others managed to escape.
When contacted, a spokesperson from the Cheras district police headquarters confirmed the arrests and said that investigations are underway.
Seven Burmese Rohingya men were arrested when they attempted to scale the gates of the United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur in a bid to seek asylum early this morning.
They were arrested at about 4.45am by police personnel stationed outside the mission, but seven others managed to escape.
When contacted, a spokesperson from the Cheras district police headquarters confirmed the arrests and said that investigations are underway.
A friend of the detainees told malaysiakini that the group had wanted to highlight their plight as asylum seekers in Malaysia.
"They only wanted to go into the embassy and let the people know how difficult it has been for them to gain asylum," Peter Abib said.
He said the 14 had applied for refugee status and resettlement in a third country with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kuala Lumpur more than a year ago.
US embassy Public Affairs Counsellor Karl E Stoltz said security guards at the mission had stopped the men from gaining entry.
"They did not succeed in entering the embassy compound," he said when contacted, but declined to comment further as the matter is being investigated by the police.
Previous attempts
This is not the first time that those claiming to be political refugees from Burma have sought shelter in the compounds of foreign missions.
In January 2002, a group of Rohingyas, including women and children, broke into the UNHCR liaison office in an attempt to gain refugee status recognition by the refugee agency. They were later handed over to the police and deported from Malaysia.
Several other groups made similar attempts last year but none managed to gain asylum.
The Rohingyas are an ethnic minority Muslim group from Burma's northwestern Arakan state who claim to be victims of ethnic and religious persecution by the Rangoon military government as well as being deprived of citizenship.
Some 10,000 Rohingyas are estimated to be living undocumented in Malaysia. Malaysia is also home to smaller communities of asylum seekers from the Chin and Karen minority groups.
