An Indian navy crew has been accused of dumping around 40 refugees into the sea off Myanmar, and abandoning them.
The crew reportedly gave them life jackets and and cast them adrift in the Andaman Sea off the shore of the country they had just escaped from, fearing persecution and potential death.
At least 15 Christians were among the refugees. The rest were Muslims.
United Nations agencies, family members of the refugees and lawyers said there was credible evidence to back up the claims.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the refugees were detained in New Delhi and flown to an aircraft carrier whose crew sailed to the maritime border with Myanmar and jettisoned them in the sea.
Amazingly, the refugees — including women, children and the elderly — all managed to swim ashore.
They are reported to be safe with the National Unity Government of Myanmar, which began operating as a resistance movement after the country’s 2021 military coup.
UN CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO INDIA’S BEHAVIOUR
The United Nations has called for an investigation into India’s behaviour.
No one from the Indian government has commented on the accusations.
The New York Times reports the episode appeared to be part of a broader recent crackdown by India to expand a campaign of oppression against minority Muslims.
It follows the flashpoint in the disputed region of Kashmir, brought on by terrorists murdering 26 Indian tourists there.
India suspects the perpetrators were Muslim extremists from Pakistan.
BOTH MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN ROHINGYAS HAVE LONG BEEN PERSECUTED
Predominantly Muslim, ethnic Rohingyas have long been persecuted in both Myanmar and India, as have those who have converted to Christianity.
There are an estimated 40,000 Rohingya refugees in India who have fled persecution in Myanmar.
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, called India’s action a “blatant disregard for the lives and safety of those who require international protection” and “nothing short of outrageous.”
“Such cruel actions would be an affront to human decency and represent a serious violation of the principle of non-refoulment, a fundamental tenet of international law that prohibits states from returning individuals to a territory where they face threats to their lives or freedom,” Mr. Andrews said.
INDIA ACCUSED OF “UNCONSCIONABLE, UNACCEPTABLE ACTS”
The UN Commissioner for Human Rights stated that it had appointed a UN expert to investigate what it termed as “unconscionable, unacceptable acts.”
The UN agency urged the Indian government to refrain from “inhumane and life-threatening treatment” of Rohingya refugees, including their repatriation into perilous conditions in Myanmar.”
The families of the abandoned refugees have filed a petition in India’s top court, urging the government to arrange for their return to New Delhi.
Myanmar regards the Rohingya as migrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship, but the Rohingya maintain they are indigenous to western Myanmar.
Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017 that led to more than 740,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh, their population in Myanmar was estimated at 1.4 million.
Authorities in Myanmar impose restrictions on their movement and deny them access to state education and civil service jobs.
