Nowhere To Go: The Displaced Rohingyas and the International Crisis

• In Event: Multiple Dimensions of Human Security

Abstract

The issue of Rohingya refugees is a complex one and requires an understanding of international laws on refugees and asylum seekers. According to Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948, every person is entitled to asylum in other countries, regardless of their status. In addition, the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, 1967 (SoR) has accorded the right of asylum to all refugees, regardless of the cause of their displacement. Therefore, the Rohingya refugees have the right to asylum in Bangladesh, but the government has not accorded them a permanent residence permit. As such, the Rohingya refugees are in a legal limbo, where they cannot return to their homeland and settle in Bangladesh as refugees. Further, the UN Refugee Convention, 1951 (UNRC) also guarantees the right to asylum for people fleeing persecution or serious harm.
It also provides for the repatriation of refugees to their country of origin, which is essential for the long-term resolution of the Rohingya crisis. A case in point is the Tamils in Sri Lanka, who were allowed to settle in India after being displaced from their homeland.However, the Myanmar government has been unwilling to take back the Rohingya refugees, and the Bangladesh government has also been reluctant to grant them permanent residence. Therefore, there is a need for international intervention to facilitate the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

Author

• Dr Nazia Khan, Indian Institute of Management, Kashipur