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The fate of prisoners in West Bengal and other states belonging to Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya community remains uncertain since Myanmar does not feature in the list of 35 countries with which India has signed repatriation treaties. As per West Bengal government records, 71 Rohingya prisoners are lodged in different correctional homes in the state. Of these, 27 have already served their sentence and are waiting for being repatriated to their country. However, these inmates have neither got refugee status in India nor clearance for repatriation. Officials said that although the external affairs ministry has outlined a time frame for repatriation of Bangladeshis and other foreign nationals, it has not been able to find a solution to the issue of Myanmarese prisoners despite several meetings between the two countries. The ministry recently issued an advisory on repatriation on August 10. Many of the Rohingya prisoners have forged Bangladeshi nationals, but they apply for repatriation to their home country Myanmar. Initially, there was a proposal to build detention centres in the bordering areas for the foreigners. It was decided that the foreigners would be released from the centres after they complete their sentence for trespassing. But the project is yet to be implemented. National security adviser Ajit Doval's recent visit to Myanmar did not yield a solution to the Rohingya issue. Adhir Sharma, additional director general of state correctional services said, "We have written several times to the home ministry, external affairs ministry and state home department seeking clarification on the status of the Rohingya inmates. But we are yet to receive a response." Adhir Sharma, additional director general of state correctional services said, "We have written several times to the home ministry, external affairs ministry and state home department seeking clarification on the status of the Rohingya inmates. But we are yet to receive a response." Even as the list of countries includes Bangladesh, the repatriation process is slow for the Bangladeshi prisoners too who are serving their sentence in the correctional homes in West Bengal. Officials said that released prisoners were deported to Bangladesh, though there is no clarity on the Bangladeshi prisoners yet to be repatriated to their country. West Bengal, which shares a 4,096 km porous border with Bangladesh, has 3,684 Bangladeshi prisoners at present in different correctional homes. The government records show that 2,197 inmates have been sent back to Bangladesh in the first half of this year, including those deported and repatriated. Officials, however, said that the number of those repatriated to Bangladesh is very low as it involves a long process. About 3,200 Bangladeshi nationals are still waiting for nationality verification. This figure includes 1,000 inmates who are waiting for repatriation, officials said. Of the total 3,684 Bangladeshi inmates lodged in the correctional homes, there are 188 minors and 304 female inmates. "We are trying our best to repatriate people to their country. In case of Bangladeshi prisoners, we approach the Bangladeshi mission. But the verification process is very slow on their part," Haider Aziz Safwi, state minister for correctional services told ET. A senior official of Bangladesh deputy high commission said the process takes time because the issue of national security is involved. "We need to be fully satisfied with the verification process before we approve an application for repatriation," said the official, requesting not to be named.
Keywords
India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, migration, repatriation, refugees, migrant, Rohingya, prisoners
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