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Across Myanmar and in the refugee camps along its borders, the suffering unleashed by the United States' gutting of its foreign aid program has been severe and deadly, particularly for children, The Associated Press found. In interviews with 21 Myanmar refugees, five people trapped in internment camps inside Myanmar and 40 aid workers, medics and researchers, the AP uncovered widespread devastation due to President Donald Trump's dismantling of the US Agency for International Development. Children are screaming for food, safehouses that sheltered dissidents have shuttered and people must forage for hours in the jungle each day to survive. Here are the key takeaways from AP's investigation, as told through the people who have been impacted: The funding cuts have been fatal Mohammed Taher clutched the lifeless body of his 2-year-old son and wept. Ever since his family's food rations stopped arriving at their internment camp in Myanmar in April, the father had watched helplessly as h
The Supreme Court on Thursday said the first major issue to be dealt with in cases concerning Rohingyas is whether they are refugees or illegal entrants. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and N Kotiswar Singh said once that is decided, the other issues might be consequential. The court observed this while hearing a batch of pleas concerning Rohingyas in the country. "The first major issue is simple, are they refugees or illegal entrants," Justice Kant observed. The bench took note of the broad issues that arise for its consideration in the pleas relating to Rohingyas. "Whether the Rohingyas are entitled to be declared as refugees? If so, what protections, privileges or rights they are entitled to?" the bench said. It said the second issue is if the Rohingyas are not refugees and are illegal entrants, whether the action of the Centre and states in deporting them was justified. "Even if the Rohingyas have been held to be illegal entrants, can they be detained indefini
Ten suspected Rohingya from Myanmar were booked for allegedly living illegally in the Gangaghat area of this Uttar Pradesh district, police said on Friday. Gangaghat SHO Pramod Mishra said the FIR under provisions of the Foreigners Act was registered on the complaint of Balughat Outpost in-charge Gajendra Singh. The Rohingya were living in huts near the Ganga riverbank. The case was registered after they could not provide valid identity documents during interrogation. The dialect they spoke was also found to be different and foreign, the SHO said.
Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane has claimed Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas staying illegally in India is a major security concern and an attempt to Islamise the society. The BJP leader further said illegal immigrants should not be allowed to stay in India. "Illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas staying here is a major security concern. It is an attempt to Islamise our society. Past experience shows this is a serious threat to Mumbai and the country. It is an attempt to take control of the city or the state," Rane told reporters here on Wednesday. He said BJP leaders, including Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Kirit Somaiya, were working to protect Mumbai's interests. Illegal immigrants should not be allowed to stay in India, and should be "dumped" in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the minister said. "We do not want such dirt here. There are dumping grounds like Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is better to dump such dirt there. Not a single Bangladeshi or Rohingya should be staying here," he ...
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday described AAP as 'Aawaidh Aamdaniwali Party', and alleged that it did nothing but spread lies to get votes and indulged in corruption under Arvind Kejriwal's leadership during its 10-year rule in Delhi. Addressing a public meeting in the Narela Assembly constituency, Shah exhorted people to dislodge the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from power to end its "misrule", vowing that the BJP will fulfil all its poll promises, make Delhi the world's number one capital, and also free the city from illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingiyas if it gets the mandate in next month's elections. Addresing a public meeting in the city on Saturday, Shah had accused the AAP government of sheltering illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingiyas with the help of the district administration under its control. "Kejriwal only told lies to get votes... AAP means 'Awaidh Aamdaniwali Party' (party which makes illegal income)," he said on Sunday while campaigning for BJP ...
One of the most powerful ethnic minority armed groups battling Myanmar's army has claimed the capture of the last army outpost in the strategic western town of Maungdaw, gaining full control of the 271-kilometer (168-mile) -long border with Bangladesh. The capture by the Arakan Army makes the group's control of the northern part of Rakhine state complete, and marks another advance in its bid for self-rule there. Rakhine has become a focal point for Myanmar's nationwide civil war, in which pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic minority armed forces seeking autonomy battle the country's military rulers, who took power in 2021 after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Khaing Thukha, a spokesperson for the Arakan Army, told The Associated Press by text message from an undisclosed location late Monday that his group had seized the last remaining military outpost in Maungdaw on Sunday. Outpost commander Brig. Gen. Thurein Tun, was captured while attempting to flee t
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that Rohingya infiltration into India has significantly increased, and the threat of demographic invasion is both real and serious. 'Rohingyas are continuously coming into India using the India-Bangladesh border and many states are suffering from the demographic invasion', Sarma said at a press conference here. Assam is guarding only a part of the Indo-Bangladesh border but a large area is still porous, he added. The West Bengal and Jharkhand governments are soft on these infiltrators and have taken no action to stop it, he alleged. 'In fact, West Bengal's Chief Minister gave a statement that the state will give shelter to those coming from Bangladesh which even the government of the neighbouring country has not endorsed', Sarma said. Assam and Tripura governments have taken strong steps in this matter with police in both the states arresting several Rohingya infiltrators on several occasions, he said. 'Assam is no longer
Five Rohingya immigrants were apprehended by Agartala Government Railway Police (GRP) on Tuesday for illegally crossing the Indo-Bangla international border.The apprehended individuals included two women and three men. According to an official, they were trying to reach destinations such as Hyderabad and Jammu & Kashmir by train.The arrested individuals have been identified as Md Imran (22 years), Md Abu Jamir (20 years), Md Azizul Hossen (22 years), Yasmin Ara (20 years), and Raju Begam (35 years).The Government Railway Police (GRP) made the arrests late on Tuesday as part of a coordinated effort to prevent illegal immigration. According to authorities, the group had entered India using unauthorised routes and intended to disperse across various regions of the country.A case has been registered at the Agartala GRP Police Station concerning this incident.The apprehended individuals will be presented before the court on Wednesday, an official said.This, however, isn't the first ..
Bangladesh should not bear the burden of more than 1 million Rohingya refugees alone while the agencies of the United Nations are facing challenges to feed them, an official of the United Nations said Monday. Olivier De Schutter, a UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, made the statement after ending a 12-day trip to Bangladesh, where he visited camps sheltering the refugees from Myanmar. He said the response from the international community to support the refugees against the fund needed is grossly insufficient. About USD 876 million are needed to support the community for a year, but only 17% of that has been pledged to date, he said, calling it scandalous at a news conference in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. Bangladesh should not be left to shoulder the burden of the presence of the refugees on its own. These (UN) agencies should be much better supported in their work, De Schutter said. He said the World Food Program has been forced in May to reduce the value
At least 26 Rohingya Muslims had died in dire conditions during a month at open sea while making a dangerous voyage that brought scores of others to safety in Indonesia, a UN agency said Tuesday, adding there will likely be more. Exhausted women and children were among 185 people who disembarked from a rickety wooden boat on Monday in a coastal village in Aceh's Pidie district, authorities said. A distressing video circulated widely on social media showed the Rohingya worn out and emaciated, with many crying for help. They are very weak because of dehydration and exhaustion after weeks at sea, said local police chief Fauzi, who goes by a single name. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said that survivors told the agency that 26 people died during the long journey. One of the refugees, who identified himself as Rosyid, told The Associated Press that they left the refugee camp in Bangladesh at the end of November and drifted on the open sea. He said at least 20 of us died aboard