The Bar Council has urged the government to cooperate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"We urge the government to fully appreciate the indispensable functions of the UNHCR and to grant them the fullest cooperation so that there will be fair and proper management of the refugee issue," said Bar Council president Yeo Yang Poh in a statement today.

"Towards this end, we further urge the government to increase constructive dialogue with the UNHCR and other stakeholders, including NGOs and the Bar Council," he added.

The UN agency had come under fire last week following its 'intervention' in the arrest of 176 Burmese nationals last week.

The foreigners were arrested in a make-shift village in Kuala Lumpur last week but an UNHCR team, which assisted the authorities, found that 45 of them had UNHCR documents, including four children below the age of 17.

Despite UNHCR calling for their release, the 45 were sent to an immigration detention centre .

Following this, Home Affairs Minister Radzi Sheikh Ahmad blasted the UNHCR for its interference.

"I have spoken to the Cabinet about UNHCR because they really get in our way ... Malaysia, like other United Nations member countries, accepts UNHCR's presence but not their powers," he was quoted as saying.

'Compassion, not scorn'

However, Yeo described the role of UNHCR in the management of refugees and asylum-seekers as crucial by assisting the host country in separating genuine refugees from other categories of undocumented persons.

"UNHCR applies a set of internationally accepted guidelines for status determination. It does not rubber stamp applications for refugee status," he said.

"Genuine refugees, like genuine migrant workers, are merely people less fortunate than us, and not less worthy. They deserve compassion, not scorn," he said.

He also called on the government to abide by the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the return of refugees or asylum seekers to their countries of origin.

The Bar Council, a frequent critic of the official policy in regards to humanitarian issues, has repeatedly urged the government to sign the 1951 Refugee Convention.

The convention, also known as the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum.

The convention also sets out which people do not qualify as refugees, such as war criminals.