Center affidavit on Rohingyas issue

• Context (NDTV): The Center has given an affidavit in the Supreme Court clarifying its stand on the Rohingya asylum issue in response to a petition urging the release of Rohingya refugees detained for alleged violations of the Foreigners Act.
• Implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act has also sparked the issue once again.

Center’s stand

• Priority to citizens: India, being a developing nation with the highest population globally, should prioritise its own citizens.
• National security concerns: Illegal entry and stay, obtaining fake/fabricated Indian identity documents, human trafficking, and subversive activities challenge national security.
• No fundamental right to reside with foreigners: While a Foreigner enjoys the right to life and liberty under Article 21, right to reside and settle in the country is exclusively for Indian citizens.
• Altered demography: Border states like Assam & West Bengal are facing demographic changes.
• No ratification of refugee protocols: India has not ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. Therefore, it is solely a matter of policy.
• The Indian government has been actively pursuing their repatriation. Since late 2018, India has reportedly deported numerous refugees back to Myanmar.

Who Are the Rohingyas?

• Muslim ethnic minority group residing in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar.
• According to the United Nations, they were systematically denied citizenship in Myanmar since 1982, rendering them stateless and without basic rights.
• The term “Rohingya” emerged in the 1950s as a means for the community to assert its collective identity and historical ties to the region.
• Restrictive citizenship laws and imposed limitations on marriage, family planning, education, and freedom of movement have compounded the community’s suffering.

Escalation Of Violence

• August 2017: Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Rohingya insurgent group, launched attacks on Myanmar police and army posts in Rakhine State.
• Brutal crackdown by Myanmar’s military: Characterised by widespread violence, mass killings, and torching of Rohingya villages leading to the crossing of Rohingyas into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Refugee Crisis

• Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazaar: Widely regarded as the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh, it is filled with Rohingyas who escaped to avoid atrocities.
• Refugees are also seeking asylum in neighbouring countries such as India, Malaysia and Thailand or entering illegally.

International response

• Condemned Myanmar’s actions, with many labelling it as ethnic cleansing and even genocide.
• United Nations, human rights organisations, and individual countries have called for accountability and justice for the Rohingya.
• Legal actions have been pursued at international courts, including cases at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• Operation Insaniyat: Launched By India to help Bangladesh overcome the humanitarian crisis due to the large influx of Myanmar refugees.
• Sanctions have been imposed on Myanmar’s military leaders by various nations and organisations.