GENEVA
A UN human rights expert on Thursday slammed an incident in which Indian authorities allegedly forced Rohingya refugees off a naval vessel into waters off Myanmar, announcing an inquiry into what he called “unconscionable, unacceptable acts.”
“The idea that Rohingya refugees have been cast into the sea from naval vessels is nothing short of outrageous. I am seeking further information and testimony regarding these developments and implore the Indian government to provide a full accounting of what happened,” Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said in a statement.
Indian authorities last week reportedly detained dozens of Rohingya refugees in Delhi, many of whom held refugee identification documents, according to the statement. Around 40 were allegedly blindfolded, flown to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands – an Indian territory off Myanmar – and placed on an Indian naval ship.
After the vessel entered the Andaman Sea, the refugees were reportedly given life jackets and forced into the water to swim to an island belonging to Myanmar, a country that has long oppressed the Rohingya.
While they are believed to have survived, their current condition and whereabouts remain unknown, the statement said.
“I am deeply concerned by what appears to be a blatant disregard for the lives and safety of those who require international protection,” Andrews said. “Such cruel actions would be an affront to human decency and represent a serious violation of the principle of non-refoulement, a fundamental tenet of international law that prohibits states from returning individuals to a territory where they face threats to their lives or freedom.”
Another group of about 100 Rohingya refugees was reportedly removed from a detention center in India’s Assam state and transferred to an area near the Bangladesh border.
“The government of India must immediately and unequivocally repudiate unconscionable acts against Rohingya refugees, stop all deportations to Myanmar, and ensure that those responsible for these blatant violations of India’s international obligations are held responsible,” Andrews urged.
In December, there were around 22,500 registered Rohingya refugees in India, according to Refugees International. The NGO says that they are one of the most neglected and persecuted groups within India’s refugee populations due to its government’s Islamophobic rhetoric and policies.
The Muslim Rohingya minority has long suffered oppression in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where officials have been accused of genocide. Some one million of them have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since 2017.
