Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acronyms and Abbreviations
- Foreword by Ranabir Samaddar
- Preface
- ETHICAL ISSUES
- LAWS
- SOUTH ASIA
- Introduction
- Refugees in South Asia: An Overview
- Internally Displaced Persons in Sri Lanka
- A Matter of Ethnicity
- Scrutinizing the Land Resettlement Scheme in Bhutan
- The Taliban Shelter Seekers or Refugee Warriors?
- Afghan Refugees head for Tajikistan, holed up in the Pamir Mountains
- Impact of International Jurisdiction on Afghan Refugee Rights
- Development Induced Displacement in Pakistan
- On the Trail of Burma's Internal Refugees
- Assault on Minorities in Bangladesh: An Analysis
- Neoliberal Globalization and Women's Experiences of Forced Migrations in Asia
- Who Went Where and How are They Doing? Pakistanis and Indians Outside South Asia
- INDIA
- GENDER
- INTERVIEW/CORRESPONDENCE
- REPRESENTATIONS
- Index
Refugees in South Asia: An Overview
from SOUTH ASIA
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 March 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acronyms and Abbreviations
- Foreword by Ranabir Samaddar
- Preface
- ETHICAL ISSUES
- LAWS
- SOUTH ASIA
- Introduction
- Refugees in South Asia: An Overview
- Internally Displaced Persons in Sri Lanka
- A Matter of Ethnicity
- Scrutinizing the Land Resettlement Scheme in Bhutan
- The Taliban Shelter Seekers or Refugee Warriors?
- Afghan Refugees head for Tajikistan, holed up in the Pamir Mountains
- Impact of International Jurisdiction on Afghan Refugee Rights
- Development Induced Displacement in Pakistan
- On the Trail of Burma's Internal Refugees
- Assault on Minorities in Bangladesh: An Analysis
- Neoliberal Globalization and Women's Experiences of Forced Migrations in Asia
- Who Went Where and How are They Doing? Pakistanis and Indians Outside South Asia
- INDIA
- GENDER
- INTERVIEW/CORRESPONDENCE
- REPRESENTATIONS
- Index
Summary
South Asia has the fourth largest concentration of refugees in the world. A majority of displaced persons who have crossed international borders in this region are not regarded as ‘refugees’ by the host governments. They are usually treated as ‘undesirable aliens’ or ‘illegal immigrants’. There are no national laws, which define or distinguish ‘refugees’ from others who cross the borders. The governments in this region have also not signed or ratified the 1951 UN Convention Concerning the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, the only available UN mechanism for the protection and rehabilitation of refugees.
However, we have to first consider, who is a refugee? Traditionally, any person who has been forced to flee his or her home for fear of life or lack of subsistence is regarded a refugee. However, in international law only those who are denied protection of their home states and as a result have crossed international borders to seek refuge in another country are accepted as refugees. Faced with the problem of a large number of displaced and uprooted persons after World War I, the western nations created international instruments for the protection, return as well as resettlement of these persons in other countries. The so-called Nansen Passport was created to provide these stateless persons with a temporary identity. Between 1922 and 1926 under the auspices of the League of Nations, several treaties created certain obligations on the contracting states, making it necessary to define the term ‘refugee’.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Fleeing People of South AsiaSelections from Refugee Watch, pp. 143 - 149Publisher: Anthem PressPrint publication year: 2009