Myanmar citizens living in India hold placards and pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest.
With several Myanmar police officers and civilians entering India through the north-east borders since February’s military coup, the Home Ministry on Friday cautioned the states that share border with the neighbouring country against a possible influx of refugees.
The Ministry has asked the four states — Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh — to take appropriate action and maintain strict vigil at the borders.
Several Myanmar nationals including many policemen have entered Mizoram to evade the brutality of the Military Junta, after a coup on February 1 that ousted the elected government.
The order issued by the North East Division of Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday asked the Chief Secretaries of the four states to “sensitize all law enforcement and intelligence agencies for taking prompt steps in identifying the illegal migrants and initiate the deportation processes expeditiously and without delay.”
The order reiterated that the state governments have no powers to grant “refugee status to any foreigner and India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol.”
Mizoram, that shares a 404 km porous border and ethnic ancestry with the Chin community of Myanmar, had extended help soon after the coup. It had also provided “shelter and basic amenities” to the refugees.
The state government had earlier alerted all the border areas of a possible influx of people seeking refuge in the days to come.
The junta overthrew a democratically-elected government, and detained its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, disputing her party’s landslide victory in November.
According to a report by United Nations Special Envoy to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, at least 56 persons, mostly youths have died due to police brutality that included shooting live rounds at peaceful protesters besides shooting rubber pallets and tear gas.
The report also mentions the fatalities may have been more as deaths in remote locations in the country may have not been counted.
Several police officials have joined the civil disobedience movement and to joined the protest to avoid taking orders from the Military, according to Irrawaddy, a leading media house in Myanmar.