Rohingya Muslims In INDIA Flashcards
Why in News?
Recently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested six people who were allegedly part of a syndicate involved in the illegal trafficking of Rohingya Muslims into Indian territory. (MARCH) news.
Who are Rohingya Muslims?
Rohingya Muslims are described by the United Nations as the most persecuted minority in the world.
They fled their homes in 2017 to escape an alleged crackdown by the Myanmarese military.
To escape discrimination and violence in Myanmar, minority Rohingya Muslims have for decades fled from the Buddhist-majority country to neighbouring Bangladesh and other countries, including India.
What are Issues & Concerns to India’s Security?
Threat to National Security: The continuance of the illegal immigration of Rohingyas into India and their continued stay in India is found to be having serious national security ramifications and poses serious security threats.
Clash of Interests: It impacts the interests of local populations in the areas seeing large-scale influxes of illegal immigrants.
Political Instability: It also increases the political instability when leaders start mobilising the perception of the citizens of the country against the migrants by the elites to grab political power.
Rise of Militancy: The persistent attacks against the Muslims perceived as illegal migrants have given way to radicalisation.
Human trafficking: In recent decades, trafficking of women and human smuggling has become quite rampant across the borders.
Disturbance in Law and Order: The rule of law and integrity of the country are undermined by the illegal migrants who are engaged in illegal and anti-national activities.
What is the National Investigation Agency?
It was constituted under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008. It is a central agency to investigate and prosecute offences:
Affecting the sovereignty, security and integrity of India, security of State, friendly relations with foreign States.
Against atomic and nuclear facilities.
Smuggling in High-Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency.
It implements international treaties, agreements, conventions and resolutions of the United Nations, its agencies and other international organisations.
It’s objective is also to combat terror in India. It acts as the Central Counter-Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency.
Headquarters: New Delhi.
Way Forward
Need for Refugee Protection Framework: In spite of not being a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, India has been one of the largest recipients of refugees in the world.
Therefore, if India had domestic legislation regarding refugees, it could have deterred any oppressive government in the neighbourhood from persecuting their population and making them flee to India.
SAARC Framework on Refugees: India should take the initiative to encourage other countries in the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to develop a SAARC convention or declaration on refugees.
Recent updates
The Rohingya conflict is an ongoing conflict in the northern part of Myanmar’s Rakhine State (formerly known as Arakan), characterised by sectarian violence between the Rohingya Muslim and Rakhine Buddhist communities, a military crackdown on Rohingya civilians by Myanmar’s security forces, and militant attacks by Rohingya insurgents in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Rathedaung Townships, which border Bangladesh.
The conflict arises chiefly from the religious and social differentiation between the Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. During World War II in Burma (present-day Myanmar), Rohingya Muslims, who were allied with the British and promised a Muslim state in return, fought against local Rakhine Buddhists, who were allied with the Japanese. Following independence in 1948, the newly formed union government of the predominantly Buddhist country denied citizenship to the Rohingyas, subjecting them to extensive systematic discrimination in the country. This has widely been compared to apartheid by many international academics, analysts, and political figures, including Desmond Tutu, a famous South African anti-apartheid activist.
OP. DRAGON KING
In the 1970s, Rohingya separatist movements emerged from remnants of the mujahideen, and the fighting culminated with the Burmese government launching a massive military operation named Operation Dragon King in 1978 to expel so-called “foreigners”. In the 1990s, the well-armed Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) was the main perpetrator of attacks on Burmese authorities near the Bangladesh–Myanmar border. The Burmese government responded militarily with Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation, but failed to disarm the RSO.
Border ATTACKS
In October 2016, Burmese border posts along the Bangladesh–Myanmar border were attacked by a new insurgent group, Harakah al-Yaqin, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 combatants. It was the first major resurgence of the conflict since 2001. Violence erupted again in November 2016, bringing the 2016 death toll to 134, and again on 25 August 2017, when the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (formerly Harakah al-Yaqin) launched coordinated attacks on 24 police posts and an army base that left 71 dead.
A subsequent military crackdown by Myanmar prompted the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to investigate the matter and release a report on 11 October 2017 detailing the Burmese military’s “systematic process” of driving hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas from Myanmar “through repeated acts of humiliation and violence”.
Issue of CAA in rohingya crisis.
issue of Rohingya refugees’ deportation has to be seen in the context of India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The CAA grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh who arrived in India before 2015. The legislation excludes Muslims – including the Rohingya, who have been called the most persecuted minority in the world, said human rights activist- Kavita Krishnan
Why rohingyas are not included in the CAA?
The CAA is partion specific. Rohingya problem is not related to partition. CAA wants to give justice to victims of partition due to religious persecution, on humanitarian ground. Rohingias are not victims of partition. So, Govt has to treat them seperately. So, they are outside CAA
Rohingias are originally from Bangladesh who settled in Myanmar as illegal immigrants. They have come to Bangladesh as refugees and not to India. Bangladesh is taking care of them. India is helping Bangladesh in their rehabilitation. Even Bangladesh, an Islamic country, is not going to give them citizenship but will return them back to Myanmar. So, there is no question of India inviting them and giving them citizenship. Even US or no other country will do that.
India has banned the entry of Rohingias into India and so, any Rohingia who has come to India illegally is an illegal immigrant, not a refugee.
CAA act, 2019.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December 2019. It amended the Citizenship Act, 1955 by providing a pathway to Indian citizenship for persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians, and arrived in India before the end of December 2014. The law does not grant such eligibility to Muslims from these Muslim-majority countries. The act was the first time that religion had been overtly used as a criterion for citizenship under Indian law and attracted global criticism.
The Citizenship Act was further amended in 1992, 2003, 2005 and 2015. In December 2003, the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003 with far-reaching revisions of the Citizenship Act. It added the notion of “illegal immigrants” to the Act, making them ineligible to apply for citizenship (by registration or naturalisation), and declaring their children also as illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants were defined as citizens of other countries who entered India without valid travel documents, or who remained in the country beyond the period permitted by their travel documents. They can be deported or imprisoned.
when was REFUGEE CONVENTION SIGNED.
Refugee conevention was signed in 1951, and THE 1967 protocol regarding the status of REFUGEES.
India is not a signatory to either the 1951 UN Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol.
