UN Expert Calls Claims of Indian Navy Pushing Rohingyas to Sea 'Unconscionable'

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Rohingya Muslim men catch their breath after arriving at a beach in Sabang, Aceh province, Indonesia, on November 22, 2023. — Reuters

A United Nations expert stated on Thursday that he is looking into “credible reports” suggesting that Rohingya refugees were forced off an Indian navy vessel into the Andaman Sea, an act he describes as “unthinkable.”

“It is absolutely outrageous to think that Rohingya refugees have been thrown into the sea from naval vessels,” declared Tom Andrews, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar.

“I am actively seeking additional information and accounts surrounding these incidents and urge the Indian government to offer a comprehensive explanation regarding what transpired.”

Andrews, serving as an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and not as a representative of the UN itself, expressed his “deep concern” over what he perceives as a stark neglect for the lives and safety of individuals requiring international protection.

The Rohingya, predominantly Muslim, have faced severe persecution in Myanmar for numerous decades.

Currently, about one million Rohingya reside in impoverished camps in Bangladesh after fleeing a military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.

Each year, thousands of them risk their lives on perilous sea journeys in search of safety elsewhere.

Andrews highlighted reports indicating that last week, Indian authorities detained several Rohingya refugees living in Delhi, “most or all of whom possessed refugee identification documents.”

He noted that approximately 40 individuals from this group were reportedly blindfolded, transported to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and then shifted to an Indian naval vessel.

“After traversing the Andaman Sea, the refugees were allegedly given life jackets, pushed into the water, and made to swim toward an island within Myanmar’s territory,” he stated.

“Such inhumane actions are a direct insult to human dignity and represent a severe infringement of the principle of non-refoulement,” he added, emphasizing that the Rohingya “encounter threats of violence, persecution, and other serious human rights abuses in Myanmar.”

“The Indian government must immediately and unequivocally denounce these reprehensible actions against Rohingya refugees, halt all deportations to Myanmar, and ensure that those accountable for these blatant violations of India’s international commitments face justice,” Andrews concluded.