Discover Public Health
Perspective
India’s refugee policy dilemma and its impact on Myanmar refugees
at the India–Myanmar frontier
Tual Sawn Khai1,2,3
Received: 16 August 2024 / Accepted: 21 October 2024
© The Author(s) 2024 OPEN
Abstract
Over 3.2 million civilians have been internally displaced in Myanmar due to human rights violations against civilians and
indiscriminate attacks perpetrated by the Myanmar military since the coup on 1 February 2021. This situation compelled
to flee the Myanmar people both within the country and to neighbouring countries such as India, Thailand, and Malaysia
in search of safety and protection. India, as one of Myanmar’s neighbouring countries, has received more than 78,731
refugees from Myanmar as of 2023. The investigation draws upon media and governmental reports published from February 2021 onwards. The findings show that the Indian government directed Mizoram and Manipur’s state governments
to prevent Myanmar’s refugees from entering their territories. Nevertheless, the Mizoram State government adopted a
welcoming stance towards Myanmar refugees by providing essential support, including food, blankets, education, and
healthcare, through collaboration with local NGOs and communities. In contrast, the Manipur State government adopted
a more restrictive approach by identifying, arresting, and repatriating Myanmar refugees, aligning with the central government’s initial stance. This situation has led Myanmar refugees in Manipur State to live with constant fear of eviction
and face the potential for forced repatriation to Myanmar. These contrasting responses reflect the complex interplay of
local, national, and international factors shaping India’s refugee policy and practice. This analysis underscores the need
for a more comprehensive and consistent national approach to refugee issues, while also considering the unique local
contexts of border states.
Keywords Myanmar military coup · Refugee crisis · Internally displaced persons · India · Human rights violations · FMA
fencing
1 Introduction
The military coup on 1 February 2021 marked the end of decade-long semi-civilian rule and the reinstatement of direct
military governance [1, 2]. This abrupt political shift occurred despite the National League for Democracy (NLD) landslide
victory in the 2015 general election, which had been a significant step towards democratisation [3]. The military coup
in Myanmar in 2021 was led by General Senior Min Aung Hlaing, who alleged that the 2020 election was fraudulent and
detained key democratic leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, from overthrowing the democratically elected government. This coup has led to widespread protests within the country and has been condemned
by the international community.
* Tual Sawn Khai, khaitualsawn@ln.hk | 1School of Social and Political Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne,
Australia. 2Department of Political and Social Change, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. 3School of Graduate Studies,
Lingnan University, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
Discover Public Health
(2024) 21:153
| https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-024-00295-7
Vol.:(0123456789)