India handed over seven Rohingya immigrants to Myanmar on Thursday morning in the border town of Moreh in Manipur. The seven immigrants were taken from Assam to Manipur on Wednesday to be deported to their home country. This is the first time that Rohingya Muslims have been sent back to Myanmar from India. They were deported via the Integrated Check Post( ICP) at Moreh.
The Supreme Court had allowed the deportation of seven Rohingyas to Myanmar, their country of origin, after they have migrated to Assam in India. The seven Rohingyas were found by the competent court as illegal immigrants and Myanmar had accepted them as its citizens. "We are not inclined to interfere on the decision taken," the apex court said.
Officials said the immigrants were held by security forces on the outskirts of Silchar in Assam in July 2012, and were kept at the detention centre since then on charges of illegal entry. The deportation exercise was carried out by the government despite the United Nations Special Rapporteur on racism flagging concerns that their ‘forcible return’ could lead to ‘refoulement’ - the forcible return of refugees or asylum seekers to a country where they are liable to be subjected to persecution - which is in violation of international law.
