Even as the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sparked a row by asking state governments to identify and deport Rohingya refugees, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), at the instance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been quietly working with Myanmar and Bangladesh to find a solution to the crisis. The MEA has even offered help to develop Rakhine province from where thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing to Bangladesh and India to escape violence.
A senior official here admitted that there was an understanding at the highest level in the government that India as a regional power must step in to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.
Contrary to MHA's decision, MEA has asked for a two-pronged approach: full public support for the Suu Kyi government and condemnation of Rohingya terrorists, and a simultaneous nudge on the economic development of Rakhine province. India has traditionally refrained from deporting refugees fleeing war, ethnic violence or occupation.
Sources here maintain that the situation in Rakhine has the potential to attract unsavoury elements from outside that may pose a threat to regional peace and stability.
The continuance of violence there is also affecting PM Modi's pet Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport project, aimed at developing transport infrastructure in southwestern Myanmar and northeastern India.
The project includes the construction of a deepwater port at the mouth of the Kaladan river in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine on the Bay of Bengal.
During his recent visit to Myanmar, Modi at a joint press meet expressed concern over "extremist violence" in Rakhine. While in public, he didn't mention the alleged persecution of the Rohingya community. MEA has been encouraging Nobel laureate and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's government to adopt key recommendations of a panel headed by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the crisis and development of Rakhine.
Other recommendations of the panel include expediting citizenship process for Rohingya Muslims. The committee had found that just 4,000 out of 10 lakh population in the region has citizenship documents. India has also made it clear to Myanmar that its assistance will go both to the Buddhist and Rohingya communities in Rakhine, which has a 70 per cent poverty rate, as against a 35 per cent rate nationally.
Officials here say that the government has taken a conscious decision to publicly support Suu Kyi, but at the same time is gently prodding her government to adopt a "positive" attitude. They believe that a month-long unilateral ceasefire declared by Rohingya insurgents may allow development activities. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) had launched attacks on police posts and an army base last month, prompting retaliation by Myanmar's military. The violence led to more than 270,000 refugees fleeing to Bangladesh.
Sources here further said that the Sheikh Haseena government feeling the impact of the refugee crisis had also approached India to intervene. It was after this prodding and three days after Modi's visit that MEA in a statement publicly raised concern at the influx of refugees. "We would urge that the situation in Rakhine state be handled with restraint and maturity, focusing on the welfare of the civilian population alongside those of the security forces. It is imperative that violence is ended and normalcy in the state is restored expeditiously," the statement added.
The statement came after Bangladesh High Commissioner Syed Muazzem Ali met Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar to discuss the crisis. He is believed to have told Jaishankar that Dhaka was expecting India to play the role of a major power in the region rather than remaining cautious. He was told that Modi had sought justice for all during his visit to Myanmar and also urged a solution based on respect for peace, communal harmony, justice, dignity and democratic values.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Rohingya refugees")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}