HYDERABAD, Oct 22: Rohingya refugees living here have appealed to the Indian government to mount pressure on Myanmar to create conditions conducive for their safe return.
Worried over reports that India may deport them, the refugees said they would return on their own once assured safety. They also want Myanmar to grant them citizenship and return their lands.
The deportation of seven Rohingya Muslims earlier this month has left refugees across Indian cities worried.
The seven Rohingya, who were held in a Assam jail since 2012 for illegally entering India, were handed over to the Myanmar government after the Supreme Court turned down a plea to stop the government from deporting them.
The deportation prompted UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Unhcr) to remind New Delhi that the international laws required nations to refrain from sending refugees back to countries where they could still face danger.
About 18,000 Rohingya refugees registered with Unhcr are living in India. Of them, 4,000 of them have found a home in Hyderabad. - IANS