The Rohingya diaspora in Kuala Lumpur today took to the streets to protest against the killing of their kin by the Myanmar government.

They marched for 1km, from the Tabung Haji Mosque to the Myanmar Embassy, after Friday prayers.

The marchers carried placards condemning the killings, as well as graphic photographs of their kin allegedly murdered by the Myanmar authorities.

The group's representative, 49-year-old Rafiq Ismail, said all 17 of his family members have been killed in the Rakhine State of Myanmar.

"All 17 of my family members were murdered by the army and Buddhists in Myanmar.

"I couldn't find them, but I later found out they were all killed.

"No one hears our pleas. We are like ants that have no value in this world. We're treated like ants," said a teary Rafiq.

'Persecuted because of religion'

Rafiq said the Rohingya community in Myanmar was being persecuted because of their religion.

"They target us because we're Muslims. But we have not created trouble, nor do we have any weapons. We just want peace," he said.

At least three participants were detained following a brief chaotic situation, including one Rohingya man who repeatedly slammed his head on a police barricade.

The protest was also backed by local organisations, including PAS, the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM), Pertubuhan Permuafakatan Majlis Ayahanda Malaysia (Permas), Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisations (Mapim) and the red-shirts movement.

A total of five memoranda were submitted to the Myanmar Embassy.

No official representative received the memoranda , which were instead accepted by the embassy' security guard.

Violence against the Rohingya community has intensified in recent days after an attack on Myanmar's army outposts.

International reports have highlighted satellite images where Rohingya villages were razed to the ground.

The Myanmar government has refused to recognsie the Rohingya community as citizens despite several generations having lived in the country.

There are more than one million Rohingya living in Malaysia, having fled from Myanmar.

However, Putrajaya does not formally them as refugees, putting them in a precarious situation.