UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers has voiced concern to Malaysia over its plans to expel some 250 asylum seekers, including women and children, who fled the war-torn Indonesian province of Aceh.

In a statement Thursday, Lubbers said the plans outlined in "persistent reports" ran counter to assurances provided by the Malaysian authorities, according to which the asylum seekers "would not be returned to a situation which could endanger their lives and well-being".

In recent weeks several hundred asylum seekers fled Aceh and were arrested as they approached UNHCR offices in Kuala Lumpur. They remain in detention.

Lubbers said he hoped that, following phone conversations on Wednesday with the Malaysian foreign ministry, a moratorium on deportations would be introduced. A UNHCR delegation is due in Kuala Lumpur next week to discuss the asylum situation.

Malaysian authorities have argued that the Acehnese entered the country to seek employment and not to seek refuge.

Malaysia has rejected previous criticism from the UNHCR over the arrests, saying the Acehnese 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.