India deports 7 Rohingya as SC refuses to intervene

NEW DELHI: Seven Rohingya immigrants, all Myanmar nationals who illegally entered India in 2012, were repatriated to their home country through the Moreh border in Manipur on Thursday afternoon. Their handover to Myanmar authorities happened hours after the Supreme Court declined to interfere with the process.

The government said the repatriation was carried out following willingness by the Rohingya to return home and with “full concurrence” of the government of Myanmar, thus pushing back criticism by UN human rights officials. “In accordance with established procedures and previous precedents, the government of Assam arranged for the repatriation of these seven individuals to Myanmar,” the foreign ministry said.

On Wednesday, the office of the high commissioner for human rights had accused India of “refoulement”, or forcible return of refugees to a country where they are liable to be persecuted.

The seven Rohingya handed over to Myanmar authorities were identified as Mohammad Jamal, Mukbul Khan, Sabir Ahmad, Mohd Salam, Jamal Hussain, Mohd Rahimuddin and Mohd Yunus. All were earlier confirmed by Myanmar as residents. The seven Rohingya from Rakhine state had entered Assam illegally and were detained by Assam police in 2012 for violation of the Foreigners Act. They served three months in prison as per an order of the chief judicial magistrate of Cachar, Silchar, and were later lodged at a detention centre pending repatriation.

In 2016, the seven Rohingya wrote to the Myanmar embassy via the Silchar district magistrate and the foreign ministry requesting the Myanmar government to issue travel documents to facilitate their return.

The Myanmar government issued a “certificate of identity” to all seven Rohingya in August 2018 as a one-time travel document for their return to Myanmar. The Assam government, upon reconfirmation of the Rohingya immigrants’ willingness to be repatriated , and with the full concurrence of the Myanmar government, arranged for their travel from Silchar to Moreh on Wednesday morning. On Thursday, they were handed over to Myanmar officials.

With the repatriation, India not only made a political point of not keeping Rohingya immigrants, which is an important voter issue in the north-east, but also persuaded Myanmar to take them back legally and with relevant documents. That would be reassuring to Bangladesh, which worried that India might push illegal Rohingya refugees into it. In Geneva, the Indian envoy hit out at the UNHCR and said India, despite being a non-signatory to the international pact on refugees, had a long history of opening itself for them. “We continue to host them, entirely using our own resources. India is not a source of refugees,” Rajiv Chander said.