India not in favour of signing int'l refugee law: official

India Monday stated that it did not favour signing the "International Convention for Refugees 1951," which guarantees refugee rights. "India's track record on the refugee issue is good without signing any international treaty," country's Home Minister Shivraj Patil told news agency Indo Asian News Service on the sidelines of a conference here today. "Though India has not signed the international convention our record in hosting refugees is impeccable. The government has never forced a single refugee out of this country," the Minister said.

India is home to at least 330,000 refugees. But it is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Refugee Protocol. The refugee population in India includes nearly 143,000 Sri Lankans, 110,000 Tibetans, 52, 000 Chins and other minorities from Myanmar, and 11,400 people from Afghanistan. "Foreigners Act 1946" is applicable to refugees and asylum seekers in India. India is a signatory to the Additional Terrorism Protocol of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that allows SAARC nations to protect those being prosecuted or punished on account of their race, religion, nationality, ethnic origin or political opinion. SAARC comprises India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Source: www.khabrein.info