The uncertain fate of a refugee's life

THIS is the second episode of this riveting documentary series about the culture and politics of refugees.

Go Back to Where you Came From

THIS is the second episode of this riveting documentary series about the culture and politics of refugees.

A group of six, accompanied by small film crews, trace in reverse the journeys that refugees have taken to reach Australia. The participants travel to some of the most desperate corners of the world. The casting is indicative of the way so many Australians are not supportive of a more sympathetic approach to asylum-seekers, preferring a hard line against unauthorised arrivals.

As every producer knows, there are only three rules about creating this kind of show: casting, casting and casting. And this group of participants is wonderfully chosen. And, as it turns out, they are quite resilient enough to cope with what appears to be a terrible ordeal and along the journey become fervently involved in the issues. But will their attitudes soften or harden even further?

Tonight the participants arrive in Malaysia, home to 100,000 registered refugees and tens of thousands more who are unregistered. The participants move into a four-bedroom flat, home to 52 Burmese refugees.

All of them keep their suitcases packed, ready to flee, as they can be targeted in immigration raids at any time. The participants learn that in Malaysia even registered refugees have little protection, as the country regards them as illegal migrants. Stunned, the participants are invited to join a dramatic midnight immigration raid. After this experience, some comment that they would rather board a boat and take their chances than suffer the uncertain fate of refugee life in Malaysia.

Like so much observational TV, it's a fascinating social experiment, documentary in form but following and capturing a set of completely artificial situations, here carefully modelled on "real" ones: an extreme example of what some call the "life intervention format" of some reality shows.

Go Back to Where You Came From

8.30pm, SBS One