Events & Issues

New Delhi, 21 August 2012

Illegal Migration

A TRIANGULAR CONFLICT

By Dr.S.Saraswathi

It is easy to suggest that foreigners without legal visa be deported and borders be sealed. It may be a decisive way of putting an end to a long-standing problem.  But, the presence of immigrants in large numbers, however unwanted they may be, is in many cases a human problem arising from several factors and cannot be dealt with in any inhuman manner.

This is the larger picture one should view the recent violence in Assam and its reverberations felt in other States. Indeed, India is facing a huge problem of migrants partly due to the generally tolerant nature of the people not resenting arrival of foreigners legally or otherwise. This country, in its long history, has had been a land of migrants from all directions by land and sea.  Both foreigners who gained entry by conquest and people who fled their homeland in search of safety for life and livelihood have settled in India. The problem of immigrants today is not about these people of India who are assimilated here for generations irrespective of racial and/or religious differences and are lawful Indian citizens.

Since the end of the colonial rule in India and in other neighbouring countries around the same time, different types of international migrations have taken   place in India. This is creating today huge demographic, ethnic, social, economic, political and administrative problems. 

No doubt, it is a challenge to the nation to adopt a human approach in dealing with migrant population. For, we have to protect national security and interests, and also safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the local people materially affected by the presence of huge migrant population.

Partition of India and creation of Pakistan in 1947, partition of Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh in 1971-72, Chinese occupation of Tibet, and the complex ethnic character of the North-Eastern Region are some crucial historical factors behind migrations after independence. Further, there are strong ethnic affiliations uniting and dividing the populations in South and South-East Asia as in many parts of the world.

Violent agitations in Assam involving native Bodos and migrants from Bangladesh are continuation of an old problem and the consequence of failure of implementing earlier accords. Time has multiplied the issues, hardened the position of warring groups, and refined the strategies of concerned parties. 

The exodus of considerable number of Hindus from Pakistan in recent days is likely to complicate the already strained relations between India and Pakistan, and raise an international issue of treatment of minorities. Apparently, since August 7, it has been reported that some 250-odd Hindus from the Sindh province have crossed over to India. The exodus is on alleged grounds that there are rampant cases of forced conversions and kidnapping etc of the Hindus. 

The continuing presence of  Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka with no prospects of  their return to their homes in the near future without any guarantee for their safety in their country has raised a strange conflict between emotional issues surrounding ethnic, linguistic affinities of Tamils and the nation’s foreign policy.  Indeed, the problem of migrant population in India has intensified and some definite policy decisions are urgently required.

International terrorism has given a new dimension to the situation adding the   question of national security to that of economic well-being and social solidarity.  Terrorists are prone to exploit any route to gain entry into the country and mix with the people. They may take up honest trade, employment, etc., or enter as refugees seeking personal safety and livelihood to hide their intentions and promote their network.

No wonder, in such a global atmosphere, many countries are tightening rules regarding admission of foreigners and do not hesitate to deport illegal immigrants.

We must realize that we are not alone in the world experiencing such problems.  The plight of some European countries over many centuries is equally bad.  Even the USA, the land of opportunity, has faced infiltration of people from Mexico – a result of its failure to keep watch over its borders. Japan has illegal migrants from China and South Asian countries; and Pakistan from Afghanistan. Illegal migrations put a heavy burden on local resources and available infrastructure which can truly be unbearable.

In the case of Assam, the genuine fear of indigenous Bodos about their own future in their own land in the face of increasing number of migrants from Bangladesh and “outsiders” from West Bengal is clearly not being addressed adequately. The agitation is rooted in their anxiety for survival and a better future. To portray this as a communal clash between Bodos and the Muslims amounts to deceiving ourselves by the sheer failure to analyse the reality in all its dimensions.

In the case of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, it is not possible for India to completely keep away from the domestic politics in the island nation as it intimately concerns people of Indian origin. According to available statistics there are about over a lakh of Sri Lankan Tamils as refugees in India, with thousands staying in camps around Tamil Nadu. The Union Government is in a difficult fix to reconcile the country’s foreign policy relating to neighbouring countries and strong ethnic, linguistic sentiments of a section of the people of India.  

There is no standard solution to these different cases of migrations. But, we can avoid the stereotype reaction of political parties and play of petty party politics over sufferings of threatened peoples, displaced and deprived inhabitants, and persecuted masses.

There is frequent mention of “vote bank” politics that is soft on illegal migrants and even liberal in offering them refugee status and citizenship. It is unfortunate that some political parties are guided more by electoral calculations than long-term national interests.

The problem today is to identify illegal infiltrators and make arrangement to send them back to their country safely. Refugees have to be protected according to international law and conventions.  Migrants already given citizenship should be allowed to enjoy their status. At the same time, the fears of people such as the Bodos need to be addressed with proper developmental programmes. It is a triangular conflict over immigrants in India—clash of politics, ethics, and national interest. Let us address it holistically. ----INFA

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