The United Nations refugee agency today said it was concerned about the fate of 126 boat people from Burma who were detained in Thailand, as authorities refused to reveal their location.

The UN refugee agency last week officially requested access to the group after reports that Thailand had abandoned up to 1,000 members of Burma's Muslim Rohingya minority out at sea in ill-equipped boats with scant supplies.

Kitty McKinsey, Asia spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said it had not received a response from the Thai government.

"We have no idea where they are right now, but we continue to press for access to any Rohingya remaining in Thailand," she told AFP .

"Of course we are concerned, especially in view of a lot of media reports that the push-backs are continuing ... this would violate the most basic human right to life," McKinsey added.

She said the UNHCR received reports this month that at least 80 Rohingya were rescued from a boat that the Thai military had towed out to sea, while 46 were intercepted on Jan 16, brought ashore and put in military custody.

Since then, their fate is unknown, with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva last week dodging questions about their whereabouts.

Zero Rohingya in Thailand

A senior army officer based along the Andaman coast - who refused to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media - denied that any Rohingya were in the kingdom.

"We have no idea where the figure of 126 refugees comes from, and which 126 Rohingya the UNHCR mean," he told AFP .

"Rohingya come in small or big groups. Once they arrive, we send them back (to sea) with food, water and petrol. Thai authorities have never sent them back without food, water and petrol. We have zero Rohingya in Thailand now."

Accusations of mistreatment surfaced earlier this month after nearly 650 Rohingya were rescued in waters off India and Indonesia.

Indian authorities and a local human rights group said the survivors gave accounts of being tied up and beaten by the Thai military, before being towed out to the high seas with only a few bags of rice.

Hundreds of the boat people are still believed to be missing at sea.

- AFP