Statement Regarding the Increasing Difficulties Faced by Myanmar Refugee Asylum Seekers in India
More than four years after the military coup on February 1, 2021, Myanmar refugees who fled to India seeking asylum are facing a worsening situation, where an initial lack of assistance has deteriorated into an even more dire and desperate state.
Over 250 Myanmar refugees in India have been arrested and imprisoned in Manipur and Assam states, and approximately 115 detainees have been forcibly deported back to the violent military junta by the Manipur state government without security assurances. Additionally, one refugee detainee lost his life in prison, yet justice has not been served to this day.
Currently, U Aung Myint (over 50 years old), detained in Manipur State, is in critical health. Prison authorities have removed his belongings and provided emergency medical treatment, raising serious concerns about his condition. Furthermore, among the detainees, at least 10 others, like U Aung Myint, suffer from chronic illnesses, and their health remains a matter of grave concern.
Myanmar refugees arrested in India have already faced prison sentences and fines, yet they continue to be detained for years without release while frequently facing threats of deportation to unsafe Myanmar by the Manipur and Assam state governments.
Moreover, the New Delhi police conducted surprise raids on two Christian churches where Myanmar refugees were worshipping, threatening to arrest, imprison, or deport to Myanmar those without legal residency documents or UNHCR-issued refugee cards, while also halting their worship programs.
Consequently, aside from the assistance and protection provided by the Mizoram state government and its people, Myanmar refugees in other Indian states are currently facing threats of arrest and deportation back to Myanmar.
Therefore, India for Myanmar earnestly requests that the deportation of Myanmar refugees and threats of such actions cease while political stability remains absent in Myanmar, and despite not fully supporting the Myanmar democracy movement as a good neighboring democratic nation, we urge an end to actions and threats that cause mental and physical harm to these refugees.
