The police arrested 30 Burmese asylum seekers outside the compound of the United Nations High Commissioners for Refugees in Kuala Lumpur early this morning in the latest operation against undocumented Burmese.

The incident was the latest in a string of arrests over the past week, following the attack-and- arson incident at the Burmese embassy last week, allegedly by undocumented Burmese nationals.

UNHCR resettlement eligibility co-ordinator Evan Ruth said the arrests took place at about 3am today as the asylum seekers were queuing up to register with the refugee agency.

"We were informed that around 30 persons were arrested. Our protection staff are trying to find out where they are at the moment," he said when contacted today.

Ruth said the Burmese were already outside the UNHCR compound at that hour in order to be at the head of the queue up to register.

"Registration takes place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We have limited capacity so some of them queue overnight so as to be first in line the next morning," he said, adding that the agency opens its gates at 6am on registration days.

According to Burmese asylum seekers who contacted malaysiakini , those arrested comprise 25 men and five women.

"The police only took away the Burmese. They did not arrest the Indonesians and Bangladeshis who were also outside the UNHCR," said one asylum seeker who declined to be named.

Refugees arrested

The Burmese asylum seekers have also alleged that police raids have been stepped up in a number of locations in and around Kuala Lumpur where Burmese nationals are known to congregate.

The police were said to have carried out an illegal immigrant sweep operation on Friday around Jalan Meru in Klang where some 200 persons were arrested, including at least 30 Burmese nationals.

When contacted last Saturday, Klang police had declined to confirm the arrests.

A co-ordinator with the Chin Refugee Committee said 18 male and 4 female Chin asylum seekers were arrested around the Jalan Imbi area in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

The co-ordinator, who only wanted to be identified only as Simon, said the men have been sent to the Lenggeng detention camp in Negri Sembilan while the women were sent to the Machap Umboo camp in Malacca.

Of the group, two are said to be refugees recognised by the UNHCR. They are a 13-year-old girl and a 52-year-old man.

Simon claimed that another 30 Burmese nationals were arrested yesterday in Putrajaya. The men were said to be working at a construction site in the administrative capital.

UNHCR checks

The UNHCR could not independently confirm the numerous arrests. Ruth said the agency's protection staff were still clarifying the situation at a number of police stations and immigration detention centres.

He said several arrested persons have attempted to contact the UNHCR for assistance.

"There has been an increase in the number of arrests in the last week all over Kuala Lumpur. We have a detention hotline so some of them have been trying to get in touch," he said.

The recent spate of arrests are believed to have been spurred by the incident last Wednesday when four Rohingya men allegedly set fire to the Burmese embassy in Kuala Lumpur and attacked the mission's counsellor.

The four have been remanded for seven days since their date of arrest. The Magistrate's Court today allowed a police application for their remand to be extended another two days.