'We love India', say Rohingyas on being tagged as security threat by govt

The Rohingyas staying in India say that they are not a security threat to India. The refugees say they love India. The Centre told Supreme Court that Rohingyas are a security threat to the nation.

New Delhi, Sep 19: On the one hand, the minority Rohingya Muslims are fleeing in lakhs from Myanmar due to wide-scale violence and persecution perpetrated against them by the government of the country.

According to an estimate by the United Nations, around four lakh Rohingyas have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh in the last three weeks.

On the other hand, around 40,000 Rohingyas taking refuge in India for the last few years are facing the probable deportation from the country as the Narendra Modi government stated that the illegal immigrants pose serious security threat to the nation.

On Monday, the Centre told the Supreme Court that Rohingya Muslims are "illegal" immigrants in the country and their continued stay posed "serious national security ramifications". The government said it may file in sealed cover the details of the security threats and inputs gathered by the various security agencies in this matter.

In the last few days, Rohingyas staying in various parts of the country have requested the Indian government not to deport them as they would be killed once they land in Myanmar.

The Rohingyas in their defence added that they have no connection with terror outfit back in Myanmar and are registered refugees under the United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR).

Speaking to The Indian Express, Rohingyas staying in the national capital said that they love India and would never join forces against the country.

"Look at these children, do they look like terrorists? We love India... it's only when we came here that we realised what peace is, what living is, what laughing is. Why will we join forces against India?" Jaffar (27), a Rohingya refugee, was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Many Rohingyas have said that they would prefer to kill themselves in India only, instead of going back to Myanmar or Bangladesh. The Rohingyas claimed that if they go back to Myanmar they would be killed by the military of the country. They also don't want to go to Bangladesh as living conditions in the country were worse.

The violent attacks allegedly by Myanmarese armymen have led to an exodus of Rohingya tribals from the western Rakhine state in that country to India and Bangladesh.

Many of those who had fled to India after the earlier spate of violence, were settled in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan.

The Centre told the apex court that since India is not a signatory to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951, the obligations concerned to non-refoulement is not applicable.

"That the provisions of Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951 and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1967 cannot be relied upon by the petitioner since India is not a signatory of either of them.

It is respectfully submitted that the obligation concerning the prohibition of return/non-refoulement is a codified provision under the provisions of 1951 Convention referred to above. It is submitted that this obligation is binding only in respect of the States which are parties to the Convention.

Since India is not a party to the said Convention, or the said Protocol, the obligations contained therein are not applicable to India," the Centre told the Supreme Court.

"As evident from the constitutional guarantee flowing from Article 19 of the Constitution, the right to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India as well as right to move freely throughout the territory of India is available only to the citizens of India... No illegal immigrant can pray for a writ of this Court which directly or indirectly confer the fundamental rights in general...," the affidavit filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs added.

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