A group of Burmese Rohingya refugees who invaded the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) compound in Kuala Lumpur last January in a bid for asylum have finally been promised resettlement in various third countries.

The 28, including women and children, first highlighted their plight as undocumented asylum seekers when they refused to leave the UNHCR compound until they were given protection by the refugee agency.

They were later handed over to the authorities and deported to Thailand.

Long wait

A year and a half later, the same group returned to Malaysia and gained official recognition from the UNHCR as refugees. A majority of them were also granted resettlement promises in Western countries.

When met yesterday, Abib Peter, one of the 28, told malaysiakini that he is scheduled for a second interview for possible resettlement in New Zealand.

"It is a long wait but I will be interviewed again soon. Six of us are still waiting but the rest have received confirmation for resettlement," he said.

Peter, 38, said from the group, nine have been slated to leave to start new lives in Denmark, six in Norway and seven in New Zealand.

However, UNHCR officials could not be reached for confirmation.

Recounting their experience following their arrest last year, Abib said the group was sent to the Semenyih immigration detention centre and were deported about three months later to Thailand.

From there, he said the group paid human traffickers based in southern Thailand a fee of RM1,000 per head to arrange for their return to Malaysia.

"If we did not do this, (Thai authorities) would have sent us back to Burma," he said.

While the fate of this first group is secured, less is known of the other groups who also attempted to gain asylum from the UNHCR by invading its compound on several occasions last year.

Last June, three separate groups of Burmese asylum seekers entered the refugee agency's compound out of fear of the impending implementation of immigration laws which allows for the jailing and whipping of undocumented immigrants.

The first two groups, including women and children, were handed over to the police and sent to immigration detention camps.

The third group of 11 men were allowed to leave the UNHCR without being arrested.

Difficulties ahead

The Rohingyas are an ethnic minority Muslim group from Burma's northwestern Arakan state who claim to be victims of ethnic and religious persecution by the Rangoon military government.

They have been deprived of citizenship by the government who claim that the Rohingyas are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Some 10,000 Rohingyas are estimated to be living undocumented in Malaysia. Malaysia is also home to smaller communities of asylum seekers from the Chin and Karen minority groups.

The recent deterioration of the political situation in Burma caused by the arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is also expected to lead to further problems involving Burmese immigrants in Malaysia.

On Monday, a group of seven Rohingyas were arrested by the police when they attempted to scale the gates of the United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur in a bid for asylum.

Yesterday, six Burmese nationals were also arrested for participating in a demonstration calling for Suu Kyi release outside the Burmese embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

They are being held at the Cheras district police headquarters pending investigations.