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Indian NGOs, particularly ones linked to Avaaz, are abetting an influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar...by sea. These people have earned the name "Rohingya" boat people, who have left Burmese shores, and turned away from refuge by Thailand and Malaysia. They're beginning the set sail for Indian Andaman & Nicobar islands, from where Indian NGOs are using funds sourced from Indian heart-bleeders, to ferry them to mainland-India.
India cannot afford to take in Rohingya refugees. They have already become pawns of Votebank politics in the North-East, and as far down south as Hyderabad, where parties like AIMIM are using them as fresh voters. Hyderabad is now home to close to 500,000 Rohingyas, over 90% of which arrived in the last 4 years alone. Rohingyas are adding to the socio-economic strain on Indian north-easterners, which are already applied by Bangladeshi illegal immigrants.
An example of an email doing rounds by these NGOs is quoted below (I've removed the hyperlinks).
India cannot afford to take in Rohingya refugees. They have already become pawns of Votebank politics in the North-East, and as far down south as Hyderabad, where parties like AIMIM are using them as fresh voters. Hyderabad is now home to close to 500,000 Rohingyas, over 90% of which arrived in the last 4 years alone. Rohingyas are adding to the socio-economic strain on Indian north-easterners, which are already applied by Bangladeshi illegal immigrants.
An example of an email doing rounds by these NGOs is quoted below (I've removed the hyperlinks).
Dear friends,
The most persecuted peoples on our earth are right now taking to ‘floating coffins’ to flee violence and seek sanctuary for their families. But instead of responding with humanity, our governments are closing their doors, letting them starve and drown at sea.
The Mediterranean and Andaman Seas are becoming graveyards.
Burma is driving the Rohingya out, and thousands of families are drifting helplessly at sea, forced to drink their own urine because Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia had turned them away. Syrians and Africans risk drowning every week off the coast of Southern Europe, braving the terrifying crossing as their last hope to escape torture, hunger, and traffickers.
We are facing the biggest refugees crisis since World War II, but so far governments have let them die in a climate of rising xenophobia. Now it has reached a crisis, and our community has a unique chance to jam the culture of fear with a wave of compassion.
If we each chip in a small amount now, we’ll help fund rescue operations at sea; build an Avaaz refugee team to assist those missions and resettlement, and create effective lobby cells to get leaders to open up borders; and launch ads to counter the racism.
Together we can help rescue refugees, and rescue our shared humanity.
Unless we act fast, 2015 could become the year of the boat people!
Pledge to urgently launch the Avaaz refugee campaign -- Avaaz will only process your donations if we raise enough to start saving lives:
YES, I'LL PLEDGE ₹150, enough for an emergency thermal blanket
YES, I'LL PLEDGE ₹300, enough for a meal pack for a rescued child
YES, I'LL PLEDGE ₹750, enough to provide water for six refugees
YES, I'LL PLEDGE ₹1500, enough to print 10 hard-hitting posters to stop refugee racism
YES, I'LL PLEDGE ₹3750, enough to rent a satellite phone for refugees on boats to share their stories with journalists
To pledge another amount, click here.
Avaazers have already kick-started this campaign in the UK. The government has only allowed in 143 Syrians out of the 4 million refugees! In response, over 1,000 Avaazers have joined forces to challenge this disgraceful policy by offering to help refugees resettle, and calling on their local councils to give homes to 50 Syrian refugees each. Already 4 councils have agreed and with our pressure, we hope many more will too.
But this isn’t just a UK and Syria problem. It is a crisis of humanity when our planet’s most vulnerable are treated as criminals and left to die. Here’s a five point plan of the most critical actions Avaaz could take if we raise enough together:
30 thousand refugees could drown in the Mediterranean this year. These families are fleeing terror and misery, and their choice to board a boat may be the only choice they have. Let’s join forces to stop these tragedies at sea. Pledge now:
- Support organisations that are bravely rescuing the refugees at sea.
- Launch Flotillas for Humanity with more private boats to assist rescue operations.
- Build an Avaaz refugee team to lobby governments, the EU and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to push for effective search and rescue operations, and increased numbers of refugee places.
- Support local groups in Europe and South East Asia to provide assistance to refugees arriving in reception centres, and into communities.
- Run hard hitting billboards and newspaper ads to counter the culture of xenophobia.
YES, I'LL PLEDGE ₹150, enough for an emergency thermal blanket
YES, I'LL PLEDGE ₹300, enough for a meal pack for a rescued child
YES, I'LL PLEDGE ₹750, enough to provide water for six refugees
YES, I'LL PLEDGE ₹1500, enough to print 10 hard-hitting posters to stop refugee racism
YES, I'LL PLEDGE ₹3750, enough to rent a satellite phone for refugees on boats to share their stories with journalists
To pledge another amount, click here.
Our community is one of the only in the world with millions of citizens in both the countries from which these families are fleeing and the countries they are seeking help. We have already funded extraordinary work to tackle Ebola and humanitarian work in Nepal. Now let’s take on this emergency and catalyse change with acts of inspired love and inspired bravery.
With hope and determination,
Alice, Ben, Oli, Diego, Mais, Emily, Dalia, Ricken and the Avaaz team