By turning away refugees from Myanmar, India is betraying its ancient idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
Hindu texts emphasise that the world is one family. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must live up to that idea as people fleeing the coup seek shelter in India. 12 hours ago Burmese residents in India participate in a demonstration in Dellhi against the croup in their country. | Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
By describing refugees from Myanmar as “migrants”, a deliberate attempt is being made to obfuscate the issue and avoid taking responsibility for the people seeking shelter in India. A refugee has a right to protection under humanitarian law, which is the essence of the idea of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” that has been the focus of so much discussion by Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi and his intellectual and spiritual supporters.
14 Apr 2021
The number of illegal boat migrants who have landed on British soil so far this year is treble the number who came during the same period last year, as another 42 aliens were brought ashore at the Port of Dover on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s arrivals mean that some 1,483 illegal migrants have crossed the English Channel from France since the start of the year, with 223 landings in January, 308 in February, 831 in March, and 121 to date in April.
During the same time period last year, approximately 466 illegals were taken ashore, according to the
Daily Mail, which noted that if current trends continue then some 25,000 migrants will make the illegal journey by the end of the year, three times as much as last year’s record 8,400.
April 13, 2021
The second wave of Covid-19 in India has thrown up alarming statistics over the past week, with over 145,000 new infections and 794 deaths reported on Saturday (April 10) alone. While states like Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat have been recording high infection numbers for a few weeks, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh reported their biggest single-day jumps in cases over the past few days. In many places, hospitals have run out of beds and states have run out of vaccines.
But the biggest fear for a vast section of India’s population is not the virus at all. For working-class Indians, particularly daily-wage earners, informal workers, and the urban poor, the scariest part of this second wave is the possibility of another lockdown.
A new camp for migrants and asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos has been given the green light by the local authority after a fiery meeting that lasted more than two days.
The municipal council of Mytilene first convened at 9.30 pm on Wednesday, April 7, to discuss previously approved plans to build a new facility in the remote location of Vastria.
The first session closed at 2 am. The marathon session then continued into Friday night before a vote was taken.
Instead of approving the out-of-town Vastria facility as expected, representatives voted in favour of a second option: to create a new structure with an expected capacity of 3,000, without a specific set location.