Refugee

Mizoram govt plans to relocate displaced refugees to single location

The Mizoram government is planning to relocate all refugees taking shelter in different parts of the state and to bring them in one place, according to Lalmuanpuia Punte, political adviser to the chief minister. Punte on Thursday convened a meeting with officials of south Mizoram's Lawngtlai district to discuss issues concerning over 2,000 Bangladeshi refugees taking shelter in the district. He told the meeting that proper guidelines should be formulated to prevent the refugees from settling and shifting anywhere they want. Punte said that the government is taking steps to relocate and bring the refugees together in one place rather than be scattered in different villages for administrative convenience. The plan will also help the government in providing humanitarian assistance in a more convenient way, he said. Punte further said that plans are afoot to relocate 2,014 refugees from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) currently taking shelter in different villages in Lawngtl

Explained: What is the Olympics refugee team and how is it funded?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) formed the Olympics refugee team in 2016 and consists of 37 athletes from 11 countries competing in 12 sports at the Paris Games

Paris Olympics: Ngamba becomes 1st athlete on refugee team to clinch medal

Cameroonian boxer Cindy Ngamba on Sunday became the first athlete on the Refugee Olympic Team to clinch a medal at the Paris Games, offering hope for a team created to call attention to the plight of refugees across the world. Ngamba's victory comes after a fierce bout with French boxer Davina Michel in the women's middleweight quarterfinals. The win means she's at least scored a bronze medal as she advances to the semifinals. Ngamba was a flag bearer for the 37 athletes making up the biggest Olympic Refugee Team since the idea was born ahead of the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Ngamba, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 11 and said she was granted refugee status in 2021 because she could have been imprisoned for being gay in Cameroon. She has said boxing has been her escape from the chaos and has lifted her to the international stage. While some of the athletes on the team have already won Olympic medals for their countries in pas

J&K govt grants land proprietary rights to West Pakistan refugees

The decision will benefit thousands of West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) who were granted domicile status after the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370 in August 2019

Biden rolls out migration order that aims to shut down asylum requests

President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled plans to enact immediate significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border as the White House tries to neutralize immigration as a political liability ahead of the November elections. The White House detailed the long-anticipated presidential proclamation signed by Biden, which would bar migrants from being granted asylum when US officials deem that the southern border is overwhelmed. The Democratic president has contemplated unilateral action for months, especially after the collapse of a bipartisan border security deal in Congress that most Republican lawmakers rejected at the behest of Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. The order will go into effect when the number of border encounters between ports of entry hits 2,500 per day, according to senior administration officials. That means Biden's order should go into effect immediately, because that figure is higher than the daily averages now. The .

Millions of Afghans sought refuge in Pak; Now hiding to evade deportation

Born and raised in Pakistan to parents who fled neighbouring Afghanistan half a century ago, an 18-year-old found himself at the mercy of police in Karachi who took his cash, phone and motorbike, and sent him to a deportation centre. Scared and bewildered, he spent three days there before he was sent back to Afghanistan, a place he has never been to, with nothing but clothes on his back. The youth is one of at least 1.7 million Afghans who made Pakistan their home as their country sank deeper into decades of war. But they've been living there without legal permission, and are now the target of a harsh crackdown on migrants who Pakistan says must leave. Some 600,000 Afghans have returned home since last October, when the crackdown began, meaning at least a million remain in Pakistan in hiding. They've retreated from public view, abandoning their jobs and rarely leaving their neighbourhoods out of fear they could be next for deportation. It's harder for them to earn money, rent ...

18 Hindu refugees from Pakistan get citizenship during camp in Gujarat

Eighteen Hindu refugees from Pakistan residing in Ahmedabad were on Saturday conferred Indian citizenship at a camp attended by Gujarat minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi. Gazette notifications of 2016 and 2018 empower the district collectors of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Kutch in the state to grant Indian citizenship to people of minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, said an official release. With this, a total of 1167 Hindu refugees from Pakistan residing in Ahmedabad district have so far been granted Indian citizenship, it added. At the camp organised at the district collector's office, Sanghavi conferred Indian citizenship to the migrants and urged them to work together to realise the dream of a new India. "It is expected that all of you will be determined to participate in the development journey of the country," he said, adding the Central and state governments were committed to bringing all those who have obtained Indian citizenship to the ..

Most tribal areas in northeastern states kept out of purview of CAA rules

Most tribal areas in northeastern states, including those granted special status under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, have been kept out of the purview of The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which came into effect on Monday. According to the law, it is also not going to be implemented in those northeastern states where Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime is in existence. The ILP is in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur whereby anyone from other parts of the country seeking to visit these states needs special permission from the state government. The tribal areas, where autonomous councils were created under the 6th Schedule, were also exempted from the purview of the CAA, officials said quoting from the law that was passed in 2019. Such autonomous councils are in existence in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. These include Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao and Bodoland Territorial Council areas in Assam, Garo Hills in Meghalaya and tribal areas in Tripura.

Hope, happiness among Pak Hindu refugees in Delhi as CAA rules notified

Pakistani Hindu refugees residing in Delhi expressed hope and happiness on the implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act on Monday, saying they are elated that "we will be called Indian citizens finally". Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, the Centre announced the implementation of the contentious CAA 2019 for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. Dharamveer Solanki, who is considered the chief of the Pakistani Hindu refugee community in Delhi, told PTI that around 500 from the community will receive citizenship now. "I and my family have been waiting for this for over a decade now. We are extremely happy that finally we will be called Indian citizens now. I am glad I decided to return to my homeland in 2013," Solanki said. "It feels like a huge burden has been lifted from our shoulders. With the implementation of this act, around 500 Pakistani Hindu refugee ..

UK's Suella Braverman warns against hurricane of migrants in coming months

In a series of comments on immigration that have drawn some criticism from within her own party ranks, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has warned against a hurricane of migrants landing on the country's shores unless tough action is taken. The 43-year-old Indian-origin Cabinet minister, whose parents migrated to Britain from Mauritius and Kenya, told the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Tuesday that their immigration was a mere gust compared to the millions more expected in the coming months and years. Her hard-line speech hit out at European human rights legislation that made it difficult for the UK to tackle the challenge of boat-loads of bogus asylum seekers. The wind of change that carried my own parents across the globe in the 20th century was a mere gust compared to the hurricane that is coming, said Braverman in her address to the Tory activists. Because today the option of moving from a poorer country to a richer one is not just a dream for billions of peop

Refugee students of MCD school move PIL in HC on denial of RTE Act benefits

Petitioner Social Jurist, a Civil Rights Group, highlighting that Afghanistan refugee students studying in MCD primary school, Jangpura Extension, New Delhi are deprived of Statutory monetary benefits

Manipur govt shifts last of 10 Kuki families in Imphal to Kangpokpi

The Manipur government has shifted the last of 10 Kuki families comprising 24 members from Imphal's New Lambulane area where they had been living for decades and did not move elsewhere even after the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur four months ago. These families were taken to the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district on the northern side of Imphal Valley early on Saturday, as they had become "vulnerable targets", an official said. The last of 10 Kuki families were provided "safe passage" to Motbung, in Kangpokpi district, some 25 km from Imphal, he said. But Kuki families alleged that they were forcibly evicted from their residences in the New Lambulane area to Motbung. S Prim Vaiphei, one of the volunteers guarding the Kuki locality in the heart of Imphal, said that a "team of uniformed armed personnel claiming to be acting under directions from the Home Department came to New Lambulane, Imphal in the intervening night of September 1 and 2 and forcibly evicted the last remaining

No indication that Afghan refugees in Pak guilty of terrorism: White House

There is no indication that the Afghan refugees in Pakistan or those living along the border with Afghanistan are guilty of acts of terrorism, the White House has said after Islamabad accused them of creating instability. The remarks by White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby came two days after Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that allowing Afghan refugees to settle in Pakistan was a grave mistake amid a spike in terrorist attacks on the country. The current situation has raised significant concerns about the facilities provided to the Afghan refugees, Asif said, adding Pakistan has suffered the consequences of sheltering and hosting the Afghan refugees. He also accused Afghan nationals involved in terrorist activities. "(We are) Seeing no indication that Afghan refugees in Pakistan or along that border are guilty of acts of terrorism," Kirby told reporters at a news conference here on Monday. Kirby said the US is grateful to Pakistan for the incredible

Amazon, Marriott and other cos vow to hire thousands of refugees in Europe

Multinational companies including Amazon, Marriott and Hilton pledged on Monday to hire more than 13,000 refugees, including Ukrainian women who have fled the war with Russia, over the next three years in Europe. Just ahead of World Refugee Day on Tuesday, more than 40 corporations say they will hire, connect to work or train a total of 250,000 refugees, with 13,680 of them getting jobs directly in those companies. Every number is a story of an individual family who left everything, seeking safety, seeking protection and wanting to be able to rebuild as quickly as possible," said Kelly Clements, UN deputy high commissioner for refugees. "So the commitments that businesses are going to make on Monday are absolutely essential. She says 110 million people have been displaced worldwide, with an estimated 12 million from Ukraine, nearly half of whom are living in Europe after the continent's largest movement of refugees since World War II. The hiring push in Europe was organized by the

1,500 people from trouble-torn Manipur take refuge in Nagaland: Official

Around 1,500 people from the ethnic violence-affected Manipur have taken refuge in different parts of neighbouring Nagaland, an official said on Friday. While many of these people are staying with their relatives, others are in houses provided by villagers. The Nagaland government is yet to collect the accurate data. However, as per available reports, around 1,500 people from Manipur have taken shelter in various parts of the state, Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha told PTI here. The clashes between Meitei and Kuki tribes, which started early last month, have so far claimed over 100 lives and some 10,000 army and para-military personnel had to be deployed to bring back normalcy in the northeastern state. Meanwhile, the Chakhroma Public Organisation (CPO), a tribal body, on Friday visited six villages in Chumoukedima district, where the displaced people have taken refuge. The organisation distributed relief materials to them. In a statement, the CPO said a total of 704 Kuki people h

BJP's outreach in Delhi: EAM to meet Afghan Sikhs, students from Ukraine

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will begin on Thursday his two-day outreach programme under the Delhi BJP's month-long campaign to highlight the achievements of the Modi government in the last nine years. Jaishankar will meet Sikh refugees from Afghanistan who left that country after it was taken over by the Taliban, the Delhi BJP has said in a statement. The Union minister, accompanied by West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma, will also meet a 1984 anti-Sikh riots-affected family at Tilak Vihar, it added. In Basai Darapur, Jaishankar will meet the students who were forced to leave studies in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion of the country, the statement said. He will visit Guru Arjun Dev Gurudwara at Mahavir Nagar in West Delhi at 3 pm where he will meet with Afghan Sikh refugees. Jaishankar, along with former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, has been deputed by the national leadership of the BJP to oversee the month-long campaign in seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi.

Russian invasion has uprooted 14 million Ukrainians: UN refugee chief

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has driven some 14 million Ukrainians from their homes in the fastest, largest displacement witnessed in decades, sparking an increase in the number of refugees and displaced people worldwide to more than 103 million, the UN refugee chief said Wednesday. Filippo Grandi, who heads the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told the UN Security Council that Ukrainians are about to face one of the world's harshest winters in extremely difficult circumstances, including the continuing destruction of civilian infrastructure that is quickly making the humanitarian response look like a drop in the ocean of needs. Humanitarian organisations have dramatically scaled up their response," he said, but much more must be done, starting with an end to this senseless war. But given the likely protracted nature of the military situation," Grandi said his agency is preparing for further population movements both inside and outside Ukraine. In his wide-ranging briefing, Grand

Germany's Merkel wins UN refugee agency award over welcome of Syrians

The UN refugee agency said on Tuesday it's giving its highest award to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her efforts to welcome more than 1 million refugees mostly from Syria into Germany, despite some criticism both at home and abroad. Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said Merkel had been selected as the latest recipient for the Nansen award, which is handed out annually by the Geneva-based UN agency. Under the then-Federal Chancellor Merkel's leadership, Germany welcomed more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum-seekers in 2015 and 2016, which, as you will remember, was the height of the conflict in Syria, and there was deadly violence in other parts of the world, Saltmarsh told reporters. "Dr. Merkel helped to highlight the plight of refugees globally." Merkel's decision to let in so many migrants boosted the far-right Alternative for Germany party and resulted in protests by a vocal minority. She was also blasted by some ...

Helter-skelter shelter: Why are Rohingya refugees in the news again?

No sooner did the union minister Hardeep Puri hail giving Rohingyas a permanent shelter than the MHA denied any such order

Over 58,000 Sri Lankan & 72,000 Tibetan refugees living in India: MHA

In its recently submitted annual report for 2020-21, the MHA said that as on January 1,2021, there were 58,843 Sri Lankan refugees staying in 108 refugee camps in Tamil Nadu and 54 in Odisha