India may sign U.N. convention on r

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Subject: India may sign U.N. convention on refugee

India may sign U.N. convention on refugee
The Hindu (December 28, 1998)

New Delhi, Dec 27: In the face of growing complexities issue in the SAARC
region and the absence of a national legislation on refugees, India is
considering singing the 1951 U. N. Convention on Refugees, top government
officials have said.

"The government is examining the issue of refugee protection and India's
international obligations, including the option of singing the 1951 UN
convention," sources in the Ministry of External Affairs told PTI. The 1951
Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the "status of refugees,"
signed by 132 countries, put the burden on the host Government of
guaranteeing some basic needs of the refugees, including food, basic
education and employment.

India, which has about 2.5 lakhs refugees, however, would not enter into a
regional regime for refugee protection with the SAARC nations - the main
source of refugee inflow into the country. According to the Ministry, there
are about 1,00,000 Tibetan refugees in India, and around 64,000 Sri Lankan
Tamil refugees in camps. here may be another 30,000 outside the camps and
50,000 Chakmas from Bangladesh.

In addition, there are 17,000 Afghans and nearly a thousand others
including Iranians, Iraqis, Somalis, Sudanese and Myanmarese whom UNHCR has
been allowed to handled under its mandate.