2017-08-18 12:51:00

Rights groups denounce Indian plan to deport Rohingya ‎


A leading international human rights group has denounced India’s plan to deport some 40,000 Rohingya Muslims, saying India ‎should abide by its legal obligations and protect the stateless refugees who face persecution in ‎Myanmar, formerly Burma. 

Junior interior minister Kiren Rijiju announced in parliament on August 9 the central government had ‎directed state authorities to identify and deport all illegal immigrants, noting that there were around “40,000 Rohingyas living illegally in the country,” among them ‎even those ‎registered with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)‎.

India’s international legal obligations

The Indian government should not forcibly return ethnic Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, where they face persecution, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday.  “India has a long record of helping vulnerable populations fleeing from neighboring countries, including Sri Lankans, Afghans, and Tibetans,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW South Asia director. “Indian authorities should abide by India’s international legal obligations and not forcibly return any Rohingya to Burma without first fairly evaluating their claims as refugees.”

16,000 Rohingya registed with UNHCR

About 16,500 Rohingya living in India are registered with the UNHCR. The government contends that tens of thousands are unregistered.  Rijiju told Reuters news agency, “They [UNHCR] are doing it, we can't stop them from registering. But we are not signatory to the accord on refugees.” “As far as we are concerned, they are all illegal immigrants. They have no basis to live here. Anybody who is an illegal migrant will be deported,” he added.

HRW contended Rijiju’s statement arguing that while India is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, it is still bound by customary international law not to forcibly return any refugee to a place where they face a serious risk of persecution or threats to their life or freedom.

‎"Indian authorities are well aware of the human rights violations Rohingya Muslims have had to face in ‎Myanmar and it would be outrageous to abandon them to their fates," said Raghu Menon, advocacy ‎manager at Amnesty International India.  "It shows blatant disregard for India's obligations under ‎international law," he said in a statement on Wednesday.‎

Stateless Rohingya

The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and classified as illegal immigrants, ‎despite claiming centuries-old roots. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar, where ‎they face atrocities, including murder, rape and arson attacks, with many taking refuge in Bangladesh and others heading even to Southeast Asia, often on rickety boats run by human traffickers.  

Some Rohingyas have crossed a porous border from Bangladesh into Hindu-majority India, where they are largely living in the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan.   Since 2016, Rohingya refugees in Jammu have been targeted by right-wing Hindu groups who have been calling for their eviction from the state, with some groups even threatening attacks if the government rejected their call. 

“Without the willingness or capacity to evaluate refugee claims, the Indian government should put an end to any plans to deport the Rohingya, and instead register them so that they can get an education and health care and find work,” Ganguly said. “Most of the Rohingya were forced to flee egregious abuse, and India should show leadership by protecting the beleaguered community and calling on the Burmese government to end the repression and atrocities causing these people to leave,” Ganguly said ‎(Source: Reuters)‎








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