MHA gives a written reply on Rohingyas in Rajya Sabha, cites powers under Foreigners Act

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on steps taken to deport the Rohingya migrants, The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday stated that the detection and deportation of illegal migrants is a continuous process. 

The MHA stated, "Central Government has been vested with powers under relevant sections of the Foreigners Act to detain & deport foreign nationals staying illegally in the country. "

"Detection and deportation of illegal migrants including Rohingya migrants from Myanmar after due process of nationality verification is a continuous process," the ministry added. 

READ | Bangladesh Condemns Myanmar Military Coup, Urges 'Rohingya Repatriation Should Continue'

Meanwhile, Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in camps in Bangladesh said on Tuesday that the military coup in their homeland had made them afraid to return. A counterinsurgency operation by Myanmar's military in 2017 escalated to mass rape, murder, and the burning of villages. It drove more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has hosted them in crowded refugee camps but is eager to begin sending them back to Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Several attempts at repatriation under a joint agreement failed because the Rohingya refused to go, fearing more violence in a country that denies them basic rights including citizenship.

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Bangladesh on Monday condemned the military coup in Myanmar. An official statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country stated, "Bangladesh firmly adheres to and promotes democratic ethos. We hope that the democratic process and constitutional arrangements will be upheld in Myanmar. As an immediate and friendly neighbour, we would like to see peace and stability in Myanmar."

Military Coup In Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who became Myanmar's leader in 2016 following five decades of military rule, has cautioned repeatedly that the country's democratic reforms would only succeed if the powerful army accepted the changes. On Monday, those warnings proved prescient. The military detained Suu Kyi and other senior politicians and announced it was seizing control of the country for one year under a state of emergency. While Suu Kyi’s party won the November elections and bagged 396 out of 476 seats in the combined lower and upper houses of Parliament, the military refused to accept the results and cited ‘irregularities’ in 314 townships that could have let voters cast multiple ballots or commit “voting malpractice”. However, the country’s Myanmar’s election commission has confirmed the victory and rejected the army’s claims that were floated without any proof. 

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(With Agency Inputs)