Why in News?

• The UNHCR expressed gratitude to Indian authorities at Andaman and Nicobar Islands for taking care of 142 Rohingya refugees, whose boat was intercepted by coastal security agencies near Shaheed Dweep a day ago.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• Rohingya Refugee Issue
• News Summary Regarding Rohingya Refugees in India 

About the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):

• The UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution.
• Headquartered in Geneva (Switzerland), UNHCR assists in the voluntary repatriation of refugees, their local integration or resettlement to a third country.
• UNHCR was created in 1950 to address the refugee crisis that resulted from World War II.
• The 1951 Refugee Convention established the scope and legal framework of the agency's work, which initially focused on Europeans uprooted by the war.

Rohingya Refugee Issue:

• Rohingyas as refugees in India:
  • India hosts the biggest number of refugees in the entire South Asia.
  • According to the Indian government's estimate, over 40,000 of about 1,68,000 Rohingyas who had fled Myanmar since 2012, have entered India illegally.
  • In legal terms, a person living in India can be either a citizen or a foreigner defined under the Foreigners Act, 1946.
  • India has also not been a signatory of the 1951 UN Convention or the 1967 Protocol - both relating to the Status of Refugees and included in the UNHCR statute.
• Issues with Rohingyas in India:
  • According to the Indian government, many Rohingyas have acquired documents meant for Indian citizens (like Aadhaar, PAN and Voter-ID).
    • This raises the concern of naturalisation of illegal migrants by fraudulent means.
    • Given the socio-economic complexities of Indian society and politics, identifying and monitoring Rohingyas will be difficult.
    • Since intelligence agencies have warned that terrorist organisations are looking to exploit the vulnerability of Rohingyas this could jeopardise India's national security.
  • Till now the successive governments have dealt with refugee questions on a case-by-case basis.
    • In 2015, a Private Member's Bill titled the Asylum Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
    • The Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of a legal framework to deal with the refugee problem.
    • But the Bill has not yet been taken up for consideration.

News Summary Regarding Rohingya Refugees in India:

• The Port Blair police control room received a call from the local intelligence about suspicious boat movement (carrying Rohingya refugees) near Shaheed Dweep (previously known as Neil Island).
• Multiple coastal security agencies (including the navy, coast guard and marine police) swung into action and located it.
• The boat was towed to Shaheed Dweep by the marine police, as it developed some technical snag and was unfit for further journey.
• All of the Rohingya refugees were taken to Port Blair and kept in a temporary shelter by the local administration.
• UNHCR thanks the Indian Coast Guard and the authorities for saving desperate human lives. This noble act of humanity brings relief to those in distress.