For the first time in five years, there has been a sharp jump in the number of refugees recorded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

In its '2006 Global Trends' report released yesterday, it said the number of refugees rose by 14 percent last year to nearly 10 million.

In a statement, it attributed the situation to problems in Iraq where up to 1.5 million people have been displaced, simultaneously driving up the worldwide figures.

High commissioner for refugees Antnio Guterres reiterated that his agency is committed to defending the rights of refugees.

"As the number of those uprooted by persecution, intolerance and violence around the world increases, we must face the challenges and demands of a changing world, while remaining faithful to our mandate of defending the rights of refugees and other people we care for," he said.

On the local front, 11 rights groups have urged the government to fulfil their international obligations to protect asylum seekers and refugees.

The signatories are Women's Aid Organisation, Caram Asia, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Labour Resource Centre, Abolish ISA Movement, Migrant Care, Suaram, DAP, Sisters in Islam, Health Equity Initiative and Women's Centre for Change.

In a joint press statement issued in conjunction with World Refugee Day today, they reminded the government that some 100,000 asylum seekers and refugees in Malaysia are often punished as illegal immigrants rather than being recognised as a vulnerable population in need of protection and assistance.

The groups said asylum seekers and refugees are still being subjected to arrest and detention for violation of immigration laws, even when they hold valid UNHCR documents.

UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur issues protections letters to bona fide asylum seekers and refugees. However the government does not officially recognise asylum seekers and refugees, although it has accepted the presence of UNHCR in the country.

'Children whipped'

The statement also denounced the use of whipping as punishment for immigration offences since 2002, with the signatories alleging that children below the age of 18 have been whipped with the rotan.

"We maintain that whipping constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and that it should be abolished. Children, in particular, should be protected from whipping," they said.

The groups also decried the use of 'voluntary deportation' as an option to escape indefinite detention by the immigration authorities to asylum seekers and refugees.

"Voluntary deportation under such adverse circumstances either results in them being deported to the home countries, which makes them vulnerable to refoulement or falling into the hands of smugglers and gangsters at the border, making them vulnerable to trafficking.

"We maintain that asylum seekers and refugees should be formally documented and released in Malaysia, while they await durable solutions. Malaysia must take steps to respect the international customary law of non-refoulement."

(Refoulement refers to refugees being returned to a country where their life or liberty is threatened.)

The government was also urged to uphold rights of every person as set out in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, Convention on the Rights of the Child. Malaysia is party to the two treaties.