Deported Rohingyas ‘will be killed very soon’, fear refugees staying in camp

NEW DELHI: Rohingya Refugees staying in Indian camps have expressed concern over being deported to Myanmar.

Some 235 refugees staying at Kalindi Kunj camp in Delhi don’t want to return to Myanmar fearing for their lives. Speaking to ANI on Saturday, a refugee said, “We just request Indian government to let us stay here until there is peace in our country. Seven Rohingyas who were deported will be killed very soon.”

“I have been living here since 2012. I only request the government to let us live here. We have faced a lot of hardships in our country. We did not leave our country out of greed, no one really wants to leave their own nation.”

These refugees are not being provided with any amenities and live in deplorable conditions. They still do not ask for anything from the Indian government, they “just want to live here till peace prevails in our country”.

After the Central government deported seven Rohingya refugees to Myanmar on Friday, many now have refused to return to Myanmar, saying they will not rehabilitate until ‘peace is restored in their homeland’.

More than 650,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Rakhine in August 2017 after Myanmar’s army launched a massive crackdown in its northern state, retaliating the attacks by insurgents, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on the country’s police posts and a military base.

A large number of Rohingya refugees, since then, have taken shelter in India and Bangladesh, and are staying in refugee camps, often raising security concerns.