Date 18 August 2022

Responding to the Ministry of Home Affairs’ terming of Rohingyas as "illegal foreigners" who should be detained and deported to Myanmar, Sabber Kyaw Min, a representative of the Rohingya community in India, said: "At a time, when the world is recognizing Myanmar’s war crimes against Rohingyas, India should stand in solidarity with the community which has been rendered stateless without any recourse to justice.

 Our community lives amid dire conditions in India. We lack proper places to sleep, clean and adequate sanitation facilities, and access to medical treatment. Instead, the Indian government is calling us ‘illegal foreigners’ who should be detained and deported to Myanmar, where we face genocide. "

The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs said yesterday that the Rohingya refugees would be relocated to Bakkarwala, New Delhi, and provided with basic facilities, UNHCR identification certificates, and police protection. It came as a complete surprise to the whole Rohingya community, as neither the UNHCR nor the government shared or discussed such plans. However, it was later refuted by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

"Since 2018, the Indian authorities have deported at least 17 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar despite holding refugee cards or a person of interest documents issued by UNHCR India. At least 270 Rohingya asylum seekers and refugees remain in detention in Jammu & Kashmir and 24 in Delhi, including four children.

In January 2020, the International Court of Justice acknowledged the persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar and ordered the country to take all measures to prevent the killing of Rohingyas or the causing of bodily or mental harm to members of the community. But we continue to face persecution in Myanmar.

 As a member of the UN Human Rights Council and a country that has taken in refugees who were persecuted in their home countries, we urge the Indian government to give the Rohingya people the tools they need to claim their right to life. This would be in line with their long history.

Sabber Kyaw Min

Director of Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (ROHRIngya)