SOS: 29 Indians, Including Srinagar Youth, Continue To Remain Stranded in Myanmar for Almost 2 Months Now
“We are in regular touch with EAM office to ensure all individuals are reunited with their families,” says JKSA Convenor Nasir Khuehami
Srinagar, Apr 05 (KB): At least twenty nine youths from India, including one from Jammu and Kashmir, continue to remain stranded in Myanmar for almost two months, despite repeated pleas to Government of India to seek their repatriation.
Faizan Rasool, a resident of Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir, told news agency Kashmir Bulletin over phone that they have time and again appealed the authorities and embassies of Myanmar, Thailand and India, but nothing is being done to ensure they reach repatriated and sent back to their respective homes in India.
“There is a total of twenty nine of us, 28 boys and a girl stranded here for last two months,” Faizan says.
“We have over the time sought help from our (Indian) embassy, but they haven’t responded at all,” he claims.
Narrating the ordeal, Faizan said that it took them over one and a half month to arrive at an army camp in Myanmar after the rescue was carried out in late February. “Earlier we were under the Chinese people and now under Myanmar army, at Mewadi which shares border with neighbouring Thailand,” he said, adding, “All of us were told that there are jobs in Bangkok and after crossing over we were made to enter Myanmar Mewadi.”
“For all this time, we have been deprived of basic amenities including proper food,” says Faizan. “We don’t have any means to talk to people back home, it only has been possible as some Burmese (Myanmar) people have provided us their phones.”
“We have a patient with us who is suffering from cancer for last four years, and he hasn’t any medicine or being provided any treatment, worsening his condition with each passing day,” he says, adding, “A girl is also among us, who is fearing for her dignity and honour despite we ensuring her all possible safety.”
Faizan besides himself identified the stranded individuals as; Naveen Sharma, Rahul, Amrish Singh, Mohammad Shahid, Lovepreet Singh, Yasin Ansari, Vinod Kumar, Pintu Mondal, Mohammad Shahjahan, Mushtaq Ahmad, Santosh Azmeera, Vijay Lavudya, Praveen Guglavath, Mohammad Arman, Rajendran Arul, Murgesan Ramesh, Wahid Roshan, Mohammad Said Ali, Raman Kumar, Farhan Ahmad, Aakash Kumar Gond, Jignesh Kumar Natubhai Barot, Prince Kumar Singh (cancer patient), Harsh Shaileshbhai Patel, Prakash Pandurang Pawar, Ejaz Khan, Naveen Gangala, and Rashi Gurung.
“We have over the time seen individuals from other countries being sent back to their respective countries, but it only is we Indians who have been held back for unknown reasons,” the youth said. “We are being told that if our embassy doesn’t responds anytime soon, the BGF army will take us back.”
Urging the Indian authorities, especially Ministry of External Affairs the stranded have appealed that they their repatriation process hastened so that they reach back the families, who have been longing for their early return.
Convenor Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association Nasir Khuehami while talking to Kashmir Bulletin said that they have already communicated the matter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s office. “We are in regular touch with EAM office’s under secretary and have informed them there are many individuals from India, and Jammu and Kashmir, who continue to remain stranded in Myanmar,” Khuehami said, adding, “We expect that the EAM will take the matter with the Myanmar authorities at an earliest to ensure the individuals are reunited with their families here.” (KB)
