Eight of the Acehnese who were arrested mid August at the approaches to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) compound in Kuala Lumpur will be facing deportation this Monday.

The Local Order for their deportation issued by the Immigration Department will take effect on that day, despite reports that all eight detainees possessed valid Temporary Protection letters from the UNHCR, said Solidarity for Aceh coordinator K Shan in a press statement today.

Their long period of detention at the Langkap Detention Centre in Perak has also seen physical and mental abuse, accompanied by threats from enforcement officials to comply with the deportation orders, Shan said.

The eight, most of whom are said to be ill and in need of medical treatment, include a woman and her 13-month-old infant who is suffering from malnutrition, he added.

Unstable condition

"The infant was admitted to a public hospital in Perak for treatment but was discharged following the Local Order that enforces their deportation .The infant was reported to be in unstable condition, still vomiting and crying despite being discharged from the hospital."

The mother of the infant was also said to be in an unstable condition and psychologically disturbed, whereas the father is currently detained in another centre in Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan.

After peace talks with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) broke down, the Indonesian government ordered an all-out military offensive against separatists in mid-May. This triggered a mass exodus of Acehnese.

On Aug 20, 239 Acehnese were arrested outside the office of the UNHCR. Less than a month later, another 167 Acehnese were arrested in Limau Manis, a squatter colony near Putrajaya.

Concern over the Acehnese' deportation has heightened since the Indonesian government announced early this month that it had extended the military decree at the Province of Aceh for another six months.

NGOs, opposition parties, and international bodies including the UNHCR have voiced condemnation at the government's crackdown on the Achenese.

No valid documents

Malaysia has rejected the criticism and argued that the Acehnese entered the country to seek employment and not to seek refuge.

According to the government, they were picked up because they did not have valid travel documents and that allowing them in could spark a flood of illegal immigrants.

Malaysia, which is not a signatory to the UN convention on refugees, has maintained that it does not recognise refugees or asylum seekers.

The conflict in Aceh has left more than 10,000 people dead, mostly civilians, since 1976. Jakarta has refused all calls for independence for the 4.2 million Aceh inhabitants.