7 Rohingya migrants to be sent back to Myanmar

Officials said these migrants were staying illegally in Assam

In the first such move, which also reflects the Centre’s resolve to crack down on illegal Rohingya migrants in India, at least seven of them would be deported to Myanmar Thursday. Home ministry officials, confirming the move, said these migrants were staying in Assam illegally, and had been kept at a detention centre in Silchar since 2012. All seven will handed over to the Myanmar authorities from the Moreh border checkpost in Manipur, the officials said.

“These seven illegal migrants were sent to the Silchar detention centre after being caught by the local police. They have already undergone their sentence and will now be handed over to Myanmar,” an official added.

Earlier, Myanmar diplomats were given consular access to them.

Officials said these migrants had been staying illegally in Assam and had been kept at a detention centre in Silchar, Assam, since 2012.

14,000 Rohingyas staying in India have been registered with the UNHCR.

In a first development of its kind which also reflects Centre’s resolve to crackdown against illegal Rohingya migrants in the country, at least seven of them would be deported back to Myanmar today.

Home ministry officials while confirming the move said these migrants had been staying in illegally in Assam and had been kept at a detention centre in Silchar, Assam, since 2012. All the seven migrants will be handed over to Myanmar authorities from the Moreh border checkpost in Manipur.

“These seven illegal migrants were sent to the Silchar detention centre after they were caught by the local police. They have already undergone their sentence and will now be handed over to the Myanmar authorities. Earlier we had given all the relevant details regarding them to Myanmar and their agencies confirmed that these migrants were indeed their nationals,’’ the official added.

Centre had also provided consular access to Myanmar diplomats who met these migrants and confirmed their identities. Though 14,000 Rohingyas staying in India have been registered with the UN refugee agency UNHCR, information and data available with security agencies reveal that more

than 40,000 of them are staying illegally in different parts of the country.

Majority of these Rohingyas are suspected to have come from the porous Bangladesh border in India, specially after the Myanmarese Army apparently launched an operation against them. UN has described Rohingya Muslims as the most persecuted minority in the world.

Home ministry has already asked all states to prepare a data base and collect biometrics of all illegal Rohingya migrants. Sources said once the exercise is completed Indian agencies will share details with their Myanmarese counterparts in an attempt to take them back.

Intelligence agencies have already described these illegal Rohingya migrants as a potential security threat, specially in Jammu and Kashmir where their presence is said to be sizeable.