The Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur has confirmed that as at last Friday, 66 Indonesian asylum-seekers had been repatriated.

They were among those arrested while on their way to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 19.

The majority are believed to be refugees from the province of Aceh, where the Indonesian army has been on a military offensive against separatist rebels since mid-May.

Twelve were returned home on Aug 21 and 22, following the first arrests outside the UNHCR building in Bukit Petaling.

Following the second round of arrests at the same location, 54 were sent back in separate batches via air and ferry on Aug 26 and between Sept 2-5. All were held at the Langkap detention centre in Perak until their departure.

Embassy information officer Budhi Rahardjo said the 12 who flew back to Indonesia bore the cost of their own travel, while the Malaysian government took responsibility for the rest who travelled via ferry.

The embassy, which issued their travel documents, said the destination ports for those repatriated vary depending on their origin, and would be either Medan, Riau, or Surabaya.

Interviews pending

These numbers provided were consistent with those of detained individuals that Malaysian authorities claimed had volunteered to return.

The UNHCR was previously able to ascertain that 49 individuals did not intend to apply for formal protection from the agency, and believes that these 'volunteers' choose to leave on their own volition.

Following bilateral talks with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Aug 28, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad ruled out all possibility that Malaysia will be granting asylum or special treatment to asylum-seekers from Aceh.

Meanwhile, PAS today delivered supplies of basic necessities for the Acehnese who remain under detention in three centres - Langkap, Machap Umboo in Melaka and Semenyih in Negeri Sembilan.

"We are sending over basic items today (to the UNHCR). These include prayer items, clothing and soap, among others," said PAS Youth chief Mahfuz Omar.

According to the UNHCR, 167 asylum-seekers remain under detention while awaiting interviews with the agency to ascertain if they are eligible for refugee status and therefore qualify for placement in a third country.

But the agency has expressed concern that even if all asylum-seekers receive recognition, it will be difficult to resettle everyone without unduly prolonging their stay due to detention conditions. Two recognised refugees are still being detained.