Rohingya Issue

Rohingya refugees must be deported if deemed foreigners under law: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday said if Rohingya refugees in the country were found to be foreigners under Indian laws they will have to be deported. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and N Kotiswar Singh referred to a top court's order and remarked the identity cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) may not be of any help to them under the law. "If they are foreigners as per the Foreigners Act, then they have to be deported," Justice Datta told senior advocate Colin Gonsalves and advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for different Rohingya petitioners seeking various reliefs. The top court was informed that some refugees having UNHCR cards, including women and children, were arrested by police authorities late last night and deported, despite a hearing slated on Thursday. Justice Datta said, "If they (Rohingyas) are all foreigners and if they are covered by the Foreigners' Act, then they will have to be dealt with as per the Foreigners'

SC to hear plea on schools, hosps' access to Rohingya refugees on Feb 10

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea of an NGO seeking direction to the Centre and the Delhi government to grant Rohingya refugees based in the national capital access to public schools and hospitals. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh is scheduled to hear the plea. On January 31, the top court asked the NGO Rohingya Human Rights Initiative to apprise the court about the places where these Rohingya refugees are settled in Delhi and the facilities accessible to them. It had asked senior advocate Colin Gonsalves to file an affidavit indicating their places of settlement in Delhi. Gonsalves said the NGO sought access to public schools and hospitals to Rohingya refugees as they were denied the access due to lack of Aadhaar cards. "They are refugees having UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) cards and therefore they can't have Aadhaar cards. But, for want of Aadhaar they are not being granted access to public schools and hospitals,"

Illegal Bangladeshi, Rohingya migrants major security threat: Nitesh Rane

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 ...

Rohingya infiltration into India has increased manifold: Assam CM Himanta

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

India, Bangladesh have discussed Rohingya issue periodically: Foreign secy

Vinay Kwatra further noted that there are several aspects of the Rohingyas' challenge that Bangladesh faces

Boat carrying 142 suspected Rohingyas refugees intercepted in Andaman

A boat carrying at least 142 suspected Rohingya refugees, including women and children, was intercepted by coastal security agencies near Shaheed Dweep in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Sunday, police said. The boat left from Bangladesh around 14-15 days ago and was on its way to Indonesia, they said. On Sunday morning, the Port Blair police control room received a call from the local intelligence about suspicious boat movement near Shaheed Dweep (previously known as Neil Island), and multiple coastal security agencies (including the navy, coast guard and marine police) swung into action and located it, officials said. Those onboard include 47 women and 59 minors. The boat was towed to Shaheed Dweep by the marine police, as it developed some technical snag and was unfit for further journey, police said. All of them were taken to Port Blair and kept in a temporary shelter by the local administration for further instruction from the central government, they said. Earlier, on Februa

As govt denies softening policy, Rohingyas in Delhi say 'hopes dashed'

The Rohingya community tries to build a life in hardscrabble colony as home ministry denies they would be shifted to flats

Rohingya row: 'Delhi govt wrote to settle infiltrators,' claims Delhi BJP

Continuing the row over accommodation of Rohingyas in the national capital, Delhi BJP on Thursday trained guns at the Kejriwal government claiming its officials wrote letter after letter requesting that the "infiltrators" be provided EWS flats. The Kejriwal government has not provided even proper electricity connection to the Pakistani Hindu refugees living in a camp here, but it ensured proper accommodation, food and all other facilities for Rohingyas, alleged Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta. "There were numerous communications from the home department of Delhi government and its district magistrate(south east) to FRRO, NDMC, and the DCP concerned for providing EWS flats to Rohingyas," Gupta claimed. "Kejriwal government has a duty to identify illegal infiltrators living in the city instead it is busy protecting them. Chief Minister Kejriwal is concerned about infiltrators not refugees," he said. The central government and Delhi government agencies were working on the option to sh

Helter-skelter shelter: Why are Rohingya refugees in the news again?

No sooner did the union minister Hardeep Puri hail giving Rohingyas a permanent shelter than the MHA denied any such order

UN court to rule on jurisdiction in Myanmar's Rohingya genocide case

The United Nations' highest court is ruling Friday on whether to proceed with a landmark case that accuses Myanmar's rulers of genocide against the country's mainly Muslim Rohingya minority

UNHRC session: US co-sponsors EU-led resolution over Myanmar human rights

The US co-sponsored a resolution led by the EU that highlighted ongoing human rights concerns, including for Rohingya and recalled developments since February 1 in the 46th session of UNHRC

FB played role in 2017 Myanmar violence: Rohingya rights groups

Facebook continues to face flak for failing to prevent hate speech from spreading as four rights groups have claimed that the social networking giant played a role in the 2017 violence in Myanmar

India deports second group of Rohingyas to Myanmar; travel permits awaited

The government estimates that 40,000 Rohingya live in India in camps across the country

Development of Rakhine crucial to convince Rohingyas to return: Bangladesh

Efforts to begin repatriation remain stalled 9 months after a bilateral memorandum of understanding between Myanmar and Bangladesh

Rohingya crisis reporters go missing; rights groups blame Myanmar military

Over 95% of Rohingya reporters are said to have gone missing

The Rohingya horrors and Aung San Suu Kyi's whitewash: Eyewitness

'Nobody is allowed to have any lights on after sunset in this region, or be outside at all'

UN raises estimated number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to 537,000

The report by the Inter Sector Coordination Group of the UN includes data up to October 14

Security beefed up in Mizoram- Arakan border to check entry of Rohingyas

Mizoram shares a 404-km international border with Myanmar and a 318-km border with Bangladesh

Pakistan should take away Rohingyas: Union Min Giriraj Singh

It will be better that Pak takes away Rohingya Muslims if Masood Azhar is so fond of them: t will be better that Pakistan takes away Rohingya Muslims if Masood Azhar is so fond of them

B'desh sets aside rift on Rohingya issue with Myanmar to ease rice shortage

The govt has already secured deals to buy rice from Vietnam and Cambodia as domestic stocks diminished