Assam: Myanmar refugees lodged in Goalpara transit camp launch hunger strike

Guwahati: A least 103 Rohingya and Chin refugees from Myanmar, including women and children, lodged in the Matia transit camp in Assam’s Goalpara district, have launched a hunger strike in protest against their alleged prolonged detention in the camp.

The refugees, who entered India from the neighbouring country illegally, reportedly launched their hunger strike on Monday (September 9, 2024) evening.

They have been demanding to be handed over to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in New Delhi, and then shifted to a detention centre there, before being resettled in a third country.

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The IG prisons and state home secretary have been reportedly sent to talk to the refugees.

Out of the 103 refugees, 40 of them reportedly have refugee cards issued by the UNHCR.  

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been apprised of the situation.

In July this year, as many as 35 refugees from Myanmar lodged in the camp had written to the Goalpara district administration to shift them from the camp. 

The letter was later forwarded to the Assam home department.