The Rohingyas refugee crisis is one of the most hotly debated topics currently. There are speakers from both side of the table. Shashi Tharoor recently took to Twitter to vent his frustration with the government’s decision to deport illegal Rohingyan immigrants. Mr. Tharoor tweeted, “Shocked by Govt’s decision to deport Rohingya refugees. Ancient humanitarian tradition being sacrificed purely because Rohingyas are Muslim?”
Tufail Ahmed, ex-BBC journalist, and a darling of the right-wing until very recently has also voiced his concerns about the government’s decisions and demanded that the Rohingyas be permitted to stay appealing to humanitarian concerns.
While talking about tolerance and the virtues of being a universal soak-pit, Eminent Leaders and Journalists have forgotten to understand two basic points. One, that Rohingyas are illegal settlers and secondly, their records in Myanmar and elsewhere haven’t been very encouraging. Very recently, the Rohingyas murdered scores of Burmese and Hindus in Myanmar in one of their terror attacks. And there have been regular inputs from our intelligence agencies that many of these Rohingyas are being radicalized by terror outfits for waging war against India.
Amid all the cacophony, Government of India has maintained a constant stand that Rohingyas do not belong here and that they will be sent back.
Last month, Meenakshi Ganguly UNHCR’s South Asia director, slammed the India’s Rohingyas “send back” plan, noting that India as a member of the UN Human Rights Council was aware of the risks Rohingya refugees will face if deported. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has issued identity cards to about 16,500 Rohingya in India that it says help them “prevent harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention and deportation”.
But Kirren Rijiju, responded to Ganguly’s statement by stating that the UNHCR registration was irrelevant. He said “They are doing it, we can’t stop them from registering. But we are not signatory to the accord on refugees,” he said.
“As far as we are concerned they are all illegal immigrants. While We can’t throw Rohingyas out just like that. We can’t dump them in the Bay of Bengal but They have no basis to live here. Anybody who is an illegal migrant will be deported.” Kirren Rijiju had further added last month.
Today Kirren Rjijiu upped the ante with a bold and a definitive message. He said.
Rohingyas are illegal settlers and hence there is no question of their staying in India. No country of organization can sermonize India about tolerance and they can certainly not ghost-direct us in matters of refugees. India has been all encompassing force which has allowed settlers and refugees from all across the world to take refuge in it. The Central Government has made its stand very clear in the Rohingya Crisis. Home Ministry has instructed all state governments to make necessary arrangements to send Rohingyas back.
It will be interesting to note how different parties and organizations react when Rohingyas are deported. But it is certainly a laudable step.