NEW DELHI: After more than a decade of living in India as a refugee, 55-year-old Nobel Hussain — whose real name has not been used due to concerns over his safety — was among dozens of Rohingya who were forced off an Indian naval vessel into the Andaman Sea in May, amid a crackdown on “illegal immigrants” that has seen hundreds being unlawfully forced out of India.
Hussain said he and his wife were detained in New Delhi along with at least 40 other Rohingya refugees. After being forced onto a military plane and flown to another location, they were forced onto a naval vessel and cast into the sea near Myanmar.
“It was 4 a.m., we were asked to put on life jackets, our legs and hands were tied, and we were put (into) boats,” he told Arab News. ”After some time, they untied us and threw us in the sea. We had to swim for 30 minutes before we saw land and were rescued by the locals.”
Hussain and his wife, who are both registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, have been living in hiding ever since and face an uncertain future in Myanmar — a country they fled years ago in fear for their lives.
“We don’t have any documents. Myanmar is always attacking our area. My wife, who has cancer, has sleepless nights. We live in constant fear and don’t know what will happen to us when we are caught,” he said.
