Rohingyas

UNHCR team meets Rohingya Muslims in Jammu amid immigrants' rights debate

A two-member team of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) met Rohingya Muslims at a slum here amid a heated debate whether the illegally settled immigrants be provided water and electricity. Senior Protection Officer Tomoko Fukumura along with Protection Associate Ragini Trakroo Zutushi on Monday met the Rohingya Muslims and some local residents in the Kiryani Talab area of Narwal, an official said on Wednesday. He said the head of the team would return to Delhi on Wednesday evening as their attempt to meet some police officials failed. On December 7, Jammu and Kashmir Jal Shakti Minister Javed Ahmed Rana said the water supply would not be snapped to the slums housing the immigrants, pending a call from the Centre on their deportation. Rana's statement came after Rohingyas living on three plots of land in the Narwal area of Jammu claimed that their power and water supply were snapped recently despite being registered with the UNHCR. Two days later, Chief Minis

Thousands of Rohingya flee to Bangladesh from violence in Myanmar: Official

Bangladesh is already over-burdened and unable to accommodate any more Rohingya," he told Reuters on Wednesday

UN rights chief raises alarm about trapped Rohingya civilians in Myanmar

The UN's human rights chief joined a chorus of concern on Friday for members of Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority after many were reported killed in recent fighting between the military government and the Arakan Army, an armed ethnic rebel group. According to a statement from the Geneva office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk, he expressed grave alarm and raised profound concerns about the sharply deteriorating situation across Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine State where hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed while trying to flee the fighting. It said his agency had documented that both the military and the Arakan Army, which now controls most of the townships in Rakhine, have committed serious human rights violations and abuses against the Rohingya, including extrajudicial killings, some involving beheadings, abductions, forced recruitment, indiscriminate bombardments of towns and villages using drones and artillery, and arson attacks. The

Guterres decries violence in Myanmar as military strikes kill 25 Rohingyas

Military airstrikes in western Myanmar killed at least 25 members of the country's Muslim Rohingya minority, including children, local media reported, prompting the UN chief to express concerns over the escalating violence. According to the reports, the airstrikes took place early on Monday morning and targeted the village of Thada, north of Minbya township in Rakhine state. The strikes also left another 25 people wounded. The military government had no immediate comment on the reports. UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres expressed deep concern over "the deteriorating situation and escalation of conflict in Myanmar", according to a spokesperson. The UN chief "condemns all forms of violence and reiterates his call for the protection of civilians, including aid workers in accordance with international humanitarian law, for the cessation of hostilities, and humanitarian access," said Guterres' deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, in a statement on Monday. Myanmar's military is increasing

SC to hear plea seeking release of detained Rohingya refugees in March

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear in March a plea seeking direction to the government to release Rohingya refugees who have been "illegally and arbitrarily" detained in jails and detention centres across the country. A bench of Justice B R Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehta agreed to list the plea after advocate Prashant Bhushan mentioned the matter, saying the case has not been posted for hearing. Bhushan submitted that despite the issuance of notice to the Centre, the Union of India has not filed its reply till date. He told the top court that the matter needs an urgent hearing as many Rohingya refugees have been languishing in different parts of the country. The apex court said it will post the matter in March. The top court on October 10 last year issued notice to the Centre and sought its response within four weeks. Bhushan, appearing for petitioner Priyali Sur, had submitted that many Rohingya refugees have been detained in facilities across the country and sought th

A fire in Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh guts more than 1,000 shelters

A fire raced through a crammed camp of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh's southern coastal district of Cox's Bazar, gutting more than 1,000 shelters and leaving thousands homeless, a fire official and the United Nations said on Sunday. The fire broke out around midnight on Saturday at Kutupalong camp in Ukhiya and spread quickly, fanned by strong winds, Shafiqul Islam, head of the Ukhiya Fire Station, told The Associated Press. No casualties were reported, he said. The fire was big, and it destroyed about 1,040 shelters in the camp, he said. We took about two hours to get the blaze under control, engaging 10 fire units from Ukhiya and other stations in the district. An Associated Press reporter at the scene said that thousands of refugees, including women and children, rushed to a nearby open field with their belongings as the fire started spreading aggressively during the early hours on Sunday. We are suffering from the cold severely, facing a difficult situation. Currently, we ar

112 Rohingyas among 744 infiltrators nabbed along Tripura border in 2023

A total of 744 people, including 112 Rohingyas, were arrested by the BSF while they were trying to illegally enter India from Bangladesh through the international border in Tripura, an official said on Tuesday. This number was the highest in the last three years, with the BSF Tripura Frontier nabbing 369 infiltrators in 2022 and 208 in 2021, he said. "In 2023, the BSF arrested a total of 744 infiltrators and of them, 112 are Rohingyas, 337 are Bangladeshis and 295 are Indians. This was the highest number of arrests of infiltrators in the frontier state in the last three years," he said. He said BSF personnel have also seized contraband items such as banned cough syrup, cannabis, Yaba tablets and brown sugar worth a total of Rs 41.82 crore. Besides, 4 kg of gold was also seized, the officer said. Over the years, the BSF Tripura Frontier has performed multifarious responsibilities in fighting insurgency, maintaining the border's sanctity and preventing all kinds of trans-border crim

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Tripura CM claims Rohingyas using state as corridor for passage elsewhere

Other than a zero-tolerance policy against the mafia, the CM stressed the use of advanced technologies at all police stations across the state

Will hold talks with other nations to resolve Rohingya crisis: EU official

Eamon Gilmore, European Union's Special Representative for Human Rights spent a full day in Cox's Bazar and met the Rohingyas who fled from Myanmar over the past six years

Rohingya Muslims demand release from 'holding centre' in J-K's Kathua

Lodged at a "holding centre" here for the past over two years, over 200 Rohingyas from Myanmar on Tuesday held a protest and clashed with guards inside Hiranagar sub-jail demanding their release, official sources said. However, a senior police officer dismissed the protest as "normal", saying they are holding protests for the past one month for their release from the centre. A total of 271 Rohingyas, including 74 women and 70 children, are lodged at the sub-jail that was notified as a "holding centre" on March 5, 2021, for lodging illegal immigrants. The official said the protest inside the holding centre broke out when a woman fell sick in the morning. "Senior police and jail officials rushed to the scene and the situation is under control," he added. The sources said police used mild force to disperse the protesters who reached near the main gate of the facility. Rohingyas went on an indefinite hunger strike against their lodgment at the centre in May but called off their prote

UP ATS arrests 7 Rohingyas for illegally entering from Bangladesh

The Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested seven Rohingyas, including four women, from Kanpur for allegedly illegally entering India from Bangladesh. An Indian "broker" who allegedly facilitated their illegal entry has also been nabbed, an official statement issued here on Monday said. "Acting on a tip-off that some persons have entered India from the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura with fake Indian documents, the ATS team arrested seven Rohingya including four women and one India broker from Jhakarkati bus stop in Kanpur on May 6," it said. An FIR has been lodged against them under relevant sections of IPC and Section 14 of the Foreigners Act (knowingly using a forged passport for entering into India or remaining therein without the authority of law). The "broker" involved in the racket told the ATS that they used to bring Rohingyas from Myanmar to Bangladesh and make arrangements for their stay in Rohingya camps. Later, they used to bring them to India from Wes

Sea-borne Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh believed adrift in Andaman Sea

Nearly 160 Rohingya refugees who have fled from camps in Bangladesh are now believed adrift in the Andaman Sea as their boat's engine broke down. One of the refugees managed to contact the Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (RHRI) and give the coordinates which showed the ship drifting southeast of the Andaman Islands towards Aceh in Indonesia. Since the contact was made on Wednesday, we have no news of where they have drifted We have appealed to all agencies working with such sea-borne refugees to try and help these people, RHRI Director Sabber Kyaw Min told PTI over the phone. However, RHRI's statement could not be independently verified by either the Indian Coast Guard or Unified Andamans & Nicobar Command. The Command's spokesperson said through WhatsApp: We have no information. From the location given by RHRI, it appears that the Rohingya boat is outside Indian waters. The refugees are mostly women and children, who number 120, and 40 adult men, said Min on Friday. The Rohing

As govt denies softening policy, Rohingyas in Delhi say 'hopes dashed'

The Rohingya community tries to build a life in hardscrabble colony as home ministry denies they would be shifted to flats

MHA says no move to shift Rohingyas to EWS flats, contradicts Puri's tweet

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday made it clear that it has not given any direction to provide EWS flats to Rohingya Muslims in Delhi and asked the Arvind Kejriwal government to ensure the illegal foreigners remain at their present location. The MHA also said the Rohingya illegal foreigners are to be kept in detention centres until their deportation as per the law and the Delhi government has been directed to declare the current site of their stay as a detention centre. "With respect to news reports in certain sections of media regarding Rohingya illegal foreigners, it is clarified that the MHA has not given any directions to provide EWS flats to Rohingya illegal migrants at Bakkarwala in New Delhi," an MHA spokesperson said. On the proposed move by the Delhi government to shift the Rohingya Muslims to a new location, the MHA has directed the Delhi government to ensure that the Rohingya illegal foreigners remain at their present location as it has already taken up the

Puri lauds govt's move to shift 1,100 Rohingyas to EWS flats in Delhi

Hardeep Singh Puri lauded the central government's decision to shift nearly 1,100 Rohingya refugees in Delhi to flats equipped with basic facilities and round-the-clock security

Meta aims to address human rights impact amid Rohingya genocide row

The 83-page report, covering 2020 and 2021, includes insights and actions from human rights due diligence on products, countries and responses to emerging crises

Rohingyas engaged in arms, drug, big threat to Bangladesh: PM Hasina

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked how long could her country bear such a huge burden of more than 1 million Rohingya refugees

Delhi BJP accuses AAP of supporting Rohingya, Bangladeshi immigrants

The BJP's Delhi unit on Sunday passed a resolution condemning the AAP government's "support" to the illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants in the city

Jain's arrest, Rohingyas issues to dominate Delhi BJP executive meet

Arrest of Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Bangladeshi and Rohingyas issues are expected to figure predominantly in Delhi BJP executive meet which will get underway on June 11.