A newborn child spent two weeks of his first month in detention when his mother - a Burmese Chin refugee - was arrested when trying to obtain a birth certificate for the baby.

The baby boy was released today after the quick intervention of immigration department enforcement director Ishak Mohamad.

The child was born in Hospital Kuala Lumpur on Aug 18, but the mother was told to apply for a birth certificate with the immigration department as she is an illegal immigrant.

However, the 23-year-old restaurant worker and her son were detained by the authorities when they went to the immigration department in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 5.

After spending a night in the lock-up there, mother and son were then transferred to the Semenyih detention camp.

When met today, Kuala Lumpur-based Chin Refugee Committee founder Victor Sang ( left ) said wardens at the camp permitted the mother to be with her sickly child throughout their detention.

Sang added that when he visited them on Sept 11, the woman told him that the baby was coughing heavily and needed immediate medical attention.

DG intervenes

Yesterday, Sang raised the matter with immigration department enforcement director Ishak Mohamad during a conference on human trafficking in Kuala Lumpur.

Ishak ( right ), who was a panelist at the conference, immediately issued a note instructing his officers to release the mother and her baby.

Sang said the note helped him secure a release letter from the immigration department federal headquarters in Putrajaya. The woman and her child were released at 1pm this afternoon.

"The child appears to be okay. We are taking them to the Chin refugee centre first and they'll see a doctor," he added.

While grateful for their release, Sang said their 17-day detention was regrettable as Malaysia was obliged to satisfy international conventions which it has ratified.

"While Malaysia did not sign the UN Convention on Refugees, it is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The arrest was in conflict (with the treaty)," he said.

At present, the mother and child are still stateless but are being considered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for refugee status.

It is estimated that there are more than 4,600 refugee children in Malaysia, who are not entitled to education and healthcare due to the non-recognition of their status.