Be Smart, Be Humane – As more flee to Mizoram from Myanmar, New Delhi must understand costs of not having a refugee policy

Source: The post is based on the article “Be Smart, Be Humane – As more flee to Mizoram from Myanmar, New Delhi must understand costs of not having a refugee policy” published in The Times of India on 20th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS – 2: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.

Relevance: About India’s refugee influx

News: Military operations in Myanmar have sent more refugees across the border to Mizoram.

About refugees in Mizoram

Ever since the military coup in Myanmar in 2021, the state hosts more than 40,000 refugees from Myanmar. Many refugees are from Myanmar’s Chin community. They share ethnic kinship ties with Mizos. So, the Mizoram government is expressing a tolerant attitude.

The influx of Kuki-Chin refugees from Bangladesh into the state has also been witnessed since last year after an operation by Bangladeshi security forces.

About India’s past refugee influx

India is neither a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention nor its 1967 protocol.

India has hosted some of the largest flows of refugees of all time and follows the principle of nonrefoulement. This includes hosting Tibetan refugees, millions of displaced individuals during Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war and Sri Lankan Tamils fleeing the civil war.

What are the concerns associated with India’s approach to refugees?

-India is unprepared for a large flow of refugees. The current system is neither able to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees nor give them a clear path forward, including translocation to a third country. This gives an opportunity for local resentment against refugees.

-An increase in Myanmar refugees led to increased criminal activities, smuggling and drug trafficking in border areas.

-Not having a refugee policy might lead to ad-hoc policy decisions. For example, India did not provide shelter to adequate numbers of Afghan refugees who worked with India and the India-friendly former Afghan government.

What should be done?

India needs to have a clear refugee framework. Instead of a patchwork of rules and Acts the government should work on a national law on refugees.

India being a fast-growing major economy and an aspiring major global player must undertake a comprehensive review of its refugee management mechanism.