Concerns have been raised about the treatment of refugees in Malaysia.

Concerns have been raised about the treatment of refugees in Malaysia. Photo: AP

A YOUNG Burmese refugee in Malaysia was rounded up, sent to prison for three months and lashed three times with a rattan cane last year, even though he possessed a coveted refugee card supposed to offer protection from persecution.

Kap Lian's account of his arrest, incarceration and punishment, the first by an actual holder of a refugee card, raises new questions about the Australian government's guarantee that no asylum seeker it sends to Malaysia will be abused under its proposed refugee swap deal.

Malaysia and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees insist protections of asylum seekers have improved substantially in recent times. In a significant development, it was announced on Thursday that the feared volunteer corps, known by its Malay acronym RELA, has ceased operations against irregular migrants since March.

But Mr Kap Lian's nightmare occurred when the UNHCR was supposed to have an arrangement with the police and immigration authorities that any genuine asylum seekers would not be detained, let alone punished with caning.