UN hands asylum-seekers to police

The United Nations refugee agency in Malaysia has handed over to the police 18 Burmese citizens who had been occupying the agency compound for more than a week in a bid to claim asylum.

A UN official Shinji Kubo said the agency had carried out thorough checks on the Burmese, who he said had been unable to provide substantial or credible information establishing their refugee status.

He said the agency had called the police after the asylum-seekers refused to leave the office.

The 18 asylum-seekers had said they were members of the Rohingya ethnic group, a Muslim minority that has long alleged persecution by the Burmese military government. Thousands of Rohingyas are believed to be living in Malaysia illegally.

The Malaysian Government is introducing harsher laws to curb illegal immigration with penalties including whipping.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service