Nine Burmese demonstrators charged
Nine Burmese nationals arrested outside two embassies in Kuala Lumpur last week while trying to highlight political problems in their country were today charged with immigration-related offences.
The nine, arrested on separate occasions, were charged at the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court under Section 6 of the Immigration Act 2002 for entering Malaysia without a valid permit or overstaying their permit.
All nine have claimed trial. If found guilty, they are liable to a maximum fine of RM10,000, a jail term of up to five years and up to six strokes of the rotan.
Nine Burmese nationals arrested outside two embassies in Kuala Lumpur last week while trying to highlight political problems in their country were today charged with immigration-related offences.
The nine, arrested on separate occasions, were charged at the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court under Section 6 of the Immigration Act 2002 for entering Malaysia without a valid permit or overstaying their permit.
All nine have claimed trial. If found guilty, they are liable to a maximum fine of RM10,000, a jail term of up to five years and up to six strokes of the rotan.
Six of them were detained when they attempted to climb into the United States embassy along Jalan Tun Razak last Monday in a bid for asylum.
The others were arrested as they tried to march past the Burmese embassy off Jalan Ampang Hilir on Thursday to protest the detention of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi since May 30.
Opposition members
Their counsel, Latheefa Koya said the three arrested on Thursday have signed official letters seeking assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
"All three of them are members of the National League for Democracy (the Burmese opposition party headed by Suu Kyi) so they cannot risk deportation. They have been here for quite some time," she said when contacted.
On the other six, the lawyer said she was still checking on their status with the UN agency.
"They have all said they are refugees. We have their names and these are being checked by the UNHCR."
Although a seventh person was arrested also detained outside the US embassy, he was not charged.
Yesterday, the police released three protesters from the Burmese embassy arrests, including a woman refugee who later in the day left Malaysia for resettlement in Canada.
Since the early 1990s, thousands of Burmese asylum seekers have fled to Malaysia claiming that they had been subjected to persecution by the military government.
The majority of them are members of ethnic minority groups such as the Rohingya, Karen and Chin.
