National security threat

Our national security is a state or condition where our most cherished values and beliefs, our
democratic way of life, our institutions of governance and our unity, welfare and well-being
as a nation and people are permanently protected and continuously enhanced.

Fundamental Elements There are seven fundamental elements that lie at the core of, and
therefore further amplify our definition of national security. At the same time, they
constitute the most important challenges we face as a nation and people.

1. Socio-Political Stability

2. Territorial Integrity

3. Economic Solidarity and Strength

4. Ecological Balance

5. Cultural Cohesiveness

6. Moral-Spiritual Consensus

7. External Peace

Description of Fundamental Elements

1. The first and foremost element is socio-political stability. We must achieve peace and
harmony among all Filipinos, regardless of creed, ethnic origin or social station. The
government and the people must engage in nation-building under the rule of law,
Constitutional democracy and the full respect for human rights.

2. The second is territorial integrity. We must ensure the permanent inviolability of our
national territory and its effective control by the Government and the State. This includes
the preservation of our countrys Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and its protection from
illegal incursions and resource exploitation.

3. The third is economic solidarity and strength. We must vigorously pursue a free-market
economy through responsible entrepreneurship based on social conscience, respect for the
dignity of labor and concern for the public interest. We must perpetuate an economic
regime where the people take command of their own lives, their livelihood and their
economic destiny.

4. The fourth is ecological balance. National survival rests upon the effective conservation of
our natural environment in the face of industrial and agricultural expansion and population
growth. We must promote sustainable development side by side with social justice.
 5. The fifth is cultural cohesiveness. Our lives as a people must be ruled by a common set of
values and beliefs grounded on high moral and ethical standards, drawn from our heritage
and embodying a Filipino standard, drawn from our heritage and embodying a Filipino
identity transcending religious, ethnic and linguistic differences.

6. The sixth is moral-spiritual consensus. We must be propelled by a national vision inspired,

and manifested in our words and deeds, by patriotism, national pride and the advancement
of national goals and objectives.

7. The seventh is external peace. We must pursue constructive and cordial relations with all
nations and peoples, even as our nation itself must chart an independent course, free from
external control, interference or threat of aggression.

The Centre on Monday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on the issue of deportation of
Rohingya Muslims from India and told the apex court that the decision whether or not to
allow refugees to settle in the country was best left to the Executive1.

The Centre said in the apex court: As far as Rohingyas are concerned, they claimed to have
entered from Myanmar using porous border between India and Myanmar. The total number
of such illegal immigrants into our country would be more than 40,000 approximately as on
date.
Rohingya presence in the country has serious national security ramifications and it poses
national security threats. Illegal influx of Rohingyas into India started in 2012-13 and inputs
suggest links of some of the immigrants with Pak-based terror groups, it said, adding There
is a serious possibility of eruption of violence against Buddhists who are Indian citizens and
who stay on Indian soil by radicalized Rohingyas.
The Centre said, Some Rohingyas with militant background were active in Jammu, Delhi,
Hyderabad and Mewat and are a potential threat to internal security.

Speaking on the issue earlier on Monday to ANI, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren
Rijiju said: It is a sensitive matter. Whatever Govt of India will do, will be in nations
interest. Our way forward will be based on nations interest & well mention the same in our
affidavit to be submitted in the Supreme Court.

1
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/supreme-court-rohingya-muslims-myanmar-rajnath-singh-4849051/
Hitting out at human rights groups criticism towards the Centres stand on the issue, he said:
I request international human rights bodies to not spread misinformation about India and
the Indian govt; protecting the nation is our duty.
The plea was filed by Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir, both Rohingya
immigrants, who are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR). Both the immigrants plea that they escaped Myanmar on account of widespread
violence, bloodshed, discrimination and persecution against the Rohingyas.
The plea against deportations was based on grounds of violation of conventions of
international human rights. The Home Ministry in July expressed concerns that the Rohingya
immigrants pose a challenge to the countrys security and that they may be recruited by terror
outfits. The Central Ministry had then directed state governments that they must set up
district-level task forces to identify and deport illegal immigrants.
The Centre informed Parliament on August 9 citing data available at the time that there were
at least 14,000 Rohingya immigrants registered with UNHCR living in India. The immigrants
are spread over Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan.
Rohingya immigrants hail from Myanmars Rakhine state and according to the prevailing
constitutional and political situation in the country, are considered a stateless people.

A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, however, refused to issue any notice
for now to the National Human Rights Commission on the matter as they demanded, saying it
would have to first examine whether it had the jurisdiction to deal with the issue. The
Rohingyas have accused the Myanmars government of ethnic cleansing. Some of them in
India filed petitions in the top court apprehending deportation.
-
Intelligence agencies suspect that Rohingya Muslim leaders in India are in
touch with Pakistan-based militant groups, the lawyer said.
 The lawyer declined to be named because an affidavit the home ministry is
preparing to file with the court has not yet been finalised.

Bangladesh is also growing hostile to the Rohingya, more than 400,000 of

whom live there after fleeing Myanmar since the early 1990s. From
Bangladesh, some Rohingyas have crossed into India.

Aid groups and human rights activists have criticized the plans to expel
Rohingyas, and some lawyers say deportation would violate Indias
constitution.

Indias supreme court is expected to start hearing the case on Monday.

India this week sent 53 tonnes of relief materials to Bangladesh for

Rohingyas fleeing Myanmar.2

These immigrants as well as others who may enter now are a national security threat
for India, the Centre said according to ANI. It added there is an organised network
of touts operating in Myanmar and West Bengal and Tripura to facilitate the influx of
illegal Rohingya refugees into India. The Centre said many Rohingya have illegally
got voter identity cards and PAN cards, and some are using the hawala route to
raise money for illegal activities, Times of India reported. The Centre claimed that
India cannot be held to the provisions of the conventions mentioned by the refugees. That
the provisions of Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951 and Protocol Relating
to the Status of Refugees, 1967 cannot be relied upon by the petitioner since India is not a
signatory of either of them. It is respectfully submitted that the obligation concerning the
prohibition of return/non-refoulement is a codified provision under the provisions of 1951
Convention referred to above. It is submitted that this obligation is binding only in respect of
the States which are parties to the Convention. Since India is not a party to the said
Convention, or the said Protocol, the obligations contained therein are not applicable to
India, the affidavit said.

The plea said that India has ratified and is a signatory to various conventions that recognise
the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the deportation of refugees to a country
where they may face threat to their lives.

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, had also slammed the
Indian governments stance, saying, I deplore current measures in India to deport
Rohingyas at a time of such violence against them in their country. India had responded in
the UN by saying that India was perplexed at some of the observations made by the high
commissioner in his oral update.3

2
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya-india/india-calls-rohingya-refugees-threat-to-
national-security-idUSKCN1BP24M?il=0
3
https://thewire.in/178689/rohingya-modi-government-affidavit/
How can Rohingyas become a threat to national security in
India?
A developed country like USA is still considering to restrict entry immigrants, who are , well , even semi
skilled or highly skilled along with decent education (though its racist on some aspects too) . Why ?

Because along with the skills they are bringing they are raising the level of fight for resources for the already
existing citizens of that country .This is a genuine concern !

Now, lets take India

1. Population -1.25 billion

2. People already living below poverty line - 276 million
3. Unemployment in India is projected to increase from 17.7 million last year to 17.8
million in 2017 and 18 million next year.
4. Literacy rate - 74%

Now in this scenario , we are inviting Rohingyas and settling them in areas like Jammu and Kashmir and
Delhi , who have literally no connection with the Land culturally or Geographically (if you consider it) -

They are right now

Homeless
Unskilled
Uneducated/illiterate
Not bringing any skills or adding value to the Industies in India
Implications

1.First of all by settling them , specially in Regions like Jammu and Kashmir , they are changing
the demographics of the region which is dangerous . Many Quorans here from Jammu are also
alleging of the PDP government conspiring to Hindu and Buddhist population in the state to
play politics .
2. Since they are homeless, they would only contribute to the dark sections of the society - Slums ,
dwelling , footpaths etc.
3. Since they are unskilled , they are adding to the already huge population of Unskilled labor in
India , which are are infact native to the land .No value addition to the industries in India.
4. Adding to the fight for resources among-st the less fortunate sections of the Indian society .
5. Would add to crime rate or petty criminals due to the above mentioned reasons .
Will add as unnecessary Burden to the Privileges and policies of the Government aided by the
taxpayers and the commerce of the country .
Basically they would be prospective free riders , a burden to the society and economy and a roadblock in
smooth functioning of the society .India is already plaguing with illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants . Germany
can afford to have refugees because it has strong economy with strong corporate presence in automobile
industry and is considered a major power in Europe and the world .India is not in that position right now .

Also it is utterly surprising that OIC of 53 countries hasnt officially come forward to provide
shelter to them , who claim to be the guardians of the Islamic world

4
The government quoted the 1955 Hans Muller case judgment by a Supreme Court Constitution
Bench, which held that The Foreigners Act (of 1946) vests the Central Government with an absolute
and unfettered discretion to expel foreigners.

4
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rohingya-refugees-illegal-pose-security-threat-centre-tells-
sc/article19708554.ece
Deporting Rohingyas is an "executive policy decision" and the Supreme Court must not
interfere, the centre said today, emphasizing in a written submission that the refugees from
Myanmar are a "very serious and potential threat to national security". The Rohingyas are
"indulging in anti-national activities" and channeling laundered money, the government said
in its affidavit on a petition by two men challenging deportation by India. Home Minister
Rajnath Singh later said the final call on the future of Rohingyas would be taken by the court.
The Jammu question
The thousands of Rohingyas living in Jammu have previously faced the threats of being
thrown out by some groups, such as The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party and the
traders of Jammu Chamber, before the government decided to deport them.

Following this, advocate Hunar Gupta, a member of the state BJPs legal cell, filed a PIL in
the High Court asking for deportation of Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees from Jammu
and Kashmir. During the case, concerns were also raised about the refugees staying in a
sensitive border state that is prone to terrorist activities. The matter is still sub-judice.

Mohammad Yusuf, the head of a Rohingya refugee camp in Jammu told PTI that they were
staying in the region out of compulsion and they did not know they were going to Jammu
when they fled and entered India.

Rohingya refugees living in Kelambakkam of Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu

told Moneycontrol that they were previously living in Jammu where life was harder as there
were less opportunities to earn a living and moreoever, they had to pay rent for they shanties
they spent days in. In Kelambakkam, UNHCR had given them a two-story building to live in
without rent.
This group of refugees had reached India through Bangladesh, and then entered India through
border area of West Bengal, finally ending up in Jammu. They had been told that more
Rohingyas were already living there.

Earlier this year, the Jammu and Kashmir government disclosed that they have not found any
Rohingya involved in militancy-related incidents. Although, 17 FIRs had been registered
against 38 of them, the offences are mostly related t0 illegal border crossings, the New Indian
Express reported.
More than 100,000 Rohingya people have fled their homes since 25 August.
They are trying to escape violence, following a military counter-offensive
against Rohingya militants who attacked police posts.

The insurgents claim to be acting on the behalf of Myanmar's Rohingya - but who are
they?

Who are Arsa?

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) operates in Rakhine state in northern
Myanmar, where the mostly-Muslim Rohingya people have faced persecution. The
Myanmar government has denied them citizenship and sees them as illegal
immigrants from Bangladesh.

Clashes erupt periodically between ethnic groups but in the last year, an armed
Rohingya insurgency has grown. Arsa, previously known by other names including
Harakah al-Yaqin, has killed more than 20 police officers and members of the
security forces.
On 25 August it attacked police posts in Rakhine state, killing 12 people in its biggest
attack so far. In turn, this prompted a counter-insurgency clampdown from the
security forces. The government calls it a terrorist organisation and says its leaders
have trained abroad. The International Crisis Group (ICG) also says the militants
have trained abroad and released a report in 2016 saying the group was led by
Rohingya people living in Saudi Arabia. The ICG says Arsa's leader is Ata Ullah, who
was born in Pakistan and raised in Saudi Arabia.
However a group spokesman countered this, telling the Asia Times newspaperthat it
had no links to jihadist groups and only existed to fight for Rohingya people to be
recognised as an ethnic group.

What kind of weapons do they have?

The government says the 25 August attack was done with knives and home-made
bombs.
 Image Copyright
@JeromeTaylor@JEROMETAYLOR
Report

Their weapons appear to be mainly home made but the ICG report suggested they
were not completely amateur and showed some evidence of help from veterans of
other conflicts, including people from Afghanistan.

When did Arsa start?

The spokesman who talked to the Asia Times said Arsa had been training people
since 2013. But their first attack was in October 2016, when they killed nine police
officers.
 What are its aims?
Arsa says its aims are to "defend, salvage and protect" the Rohingya against state
repression "in line with the principle of self-defence".

Arsa also rejects the terrorist label, saying it does not attack civilians. However, there
are reports of it killing informers while training members
The ICG says Arsa members are young Rohingya men angered by the state's
response to deadly riots in 2012. Young men trying to escape the area used to be
able to do so by boat to Malaysia, but the Malaysian navy blocked that route in 2015,
which led to thousands of people being stranded at sea and, the group says, others
considering violence.

This is in the context of extreme poverty, statelessness and restrictions on Rohingya

people's movement. The security forces crack down heavily on violence; a UN report
in February described the "devastating cruelty" of soldiers who had beaten, raped
and killed people in the region while it was in lockdown following the October 2016
attack.
Hounded and ridiculed for complaining of rape

The UN's special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has said the scale of the
destruction now is "far greater" than last year.

What effect has the insurgency had so far?

The attacks on security forces have prompted a crackdown from the military, who
say they are fighting against civilian-attacking militants. More than 100,000 Rohingya
people have fled their villages and crossed the border to Bangladesh, where refugee
camps are full. Many of them say the military, assisted by Buddhist monks, have
razed villages and killed civilians. The government says Buddhists and Hindus have
also fled attacks in the area.

Media access to Rakhine, where the violence is, is severely restricted, making it hard
to verify the situation on the ground.

Campaigners and politicians around the world have expressed concern at the
refugees' situation, warning of a lack of shelter, water and food. There are reports of
children being injured in landmines as they try to leave the country.
A UN representative, and the Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai, called on
leader Aun Sang Suu Kyi to stop the violence. Ms Suu Kyi has previously said there is
"a lot of hostility" in the area but ethnic cleansing is "too strong a term" to use.

What sparked the latest violence?

A fresh outbreak of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state has caused hundreds

of thousands of Rohingya civilians to flee to Bangladesh.
The exodus began on 25 August after Rohingya militants attacked police posts,
killing 12 members of the security forces.

Those attacks led to a security crackdown. Myanmar's military says it is fighting

insurgents but those who have fled say troops and Rakhine Buddhists are
conducting a brutal campaign to drive them out.

The Rohingya - a stateless mostly Muslim minority group - have faced years of
persecution in Myanmar. Deep-seated tensions between them and the majority
Buddhist population in Rakhine have led to deadly communal violence in the past.

When did the latest violence start?

On 25 August Rohingya insurgents armed with knives and home-made
bombs attacked more than 30 police posts in northern Rakhine, the government said.

Huge numbers of Rohingya civilians then began fleeing over the border into
Bangladesh.
Many of them say that Burmese troops, backed by local Buddhist mobs,
began burning their villages and attacking and killing civilians in response to the 25
August attacks. Some of those who have arrived in Bangladesh have bullet or other
wounds.

Observers on the ground and satellite images confirm many razed Muslim villages
across northern Rakhine state.

However, besides national Security , there are also civilisational issues to be considerd.

First, a background on the people that India gave refuge to.

Centuries before the Indian Constitution came into existence, persecuted

communities like Parsis, Jews and Syrian Catholics were given refuge by Indian
rulers.

The fourteenth Dalai Lama and his Tibetan followers fled to India in 1959. They
were given refuge because India and Tibet are tied by Buddhism and the centuries-
old cultural and spiritual ties. It did not matter that India had not signed the 1951
Refugee Convention.
When Idi Amin threw Indians out of Uganda around 1972, many Gujaratis chose
to return to their homeland, India.

Due to atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army in East Pakistan, there was a
flow of refugees into West Bengal in 1971.

There was large-scale migration of Sikhs due to the violence that broke out after
the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

India has given refuge to the persecuted.

Having said that, it is important to note that India was divided on the basis of
religion in 1947.

Pakistan was meant to be the home of those subcontinent Muslims who chose to
live in a theocratic state, while India was for the followers of Dharma (Hindus,
Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs, referred to as FoD subsequently), Muslims and
Christians among others. The post-partition Indian Muslims and Christians are at
least ready to co-habit and co-exist with the FoD.

Next, what happened to the FoD who stayed in Bangladesh and Pakistan?

Their population has continuously fallen in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan). It

was 23 per cent in 1951, 14 per cent in 1974, 11 per cent in 1991, 10 per cent in
2001 and 9.3 per cent in 2011. Anyone will know that their constant persecution is
the reason for their exodus.

More recently, Chakmas (Buddhists) and Hajongs (Hindus) are in the news
because the government has decided to give them citizenship rights. They faced
religious persecution in East Pakistan and entered India through the then Lushai
Hills district of Assam (now Mizoram).

The population of Muslims in the Myanmar state of Arakan was 5 per cent in
1869, 21 per cent in 1901, 29 per cent in 1983, 40 per cent in 2014 and 60 per cent
if oversees Muslims from Arakan are also counted. Without going into the details,
it can be safe to say that the increase in population after 1983 cannot be accounted
for by new births alone.

It seems that large numbers of Muslims from the Chittagong region of what now
constitutes Bangladesh were settled in the Rakhine (Arakan) part of Myanmar in
and around the turn of the twentieth century. There was another major movement
of Muslims from Chittagong to Rakhine from the 1980s.

Muslims in Rakhine have been demanding for an autonomous state to be carved

out from Myanmar exclusively for them. (India could soon face a similar demand
in Assam.) The movement took an aggressive turn in the 1990s.

Recall that the 11 August 2012 rally to protest violence against Myanmar's
Rohingya at Mumbai's Azad Maidan turned extremely violent. The key conspirator
was a Myanmar national, Yusuf Khan (Hindustan Times, 11 August 2012).

What happened on 11th August at AZAD MAIDAN in Mumbai must be

condemned by all in the strongest word. Such incidents can not be tolerated in any
circumstances. The way Muslim youth vented their anger on media and police
personnel cannot be justified at all. More than 45 police men were injured and
most of the OB vans of TV channels present there were damaged or set on fire by
angry youths. They were angry with the black out of media coverage killings of
Muslims in Myanmar and Assam.

The media and the international elites are framing the jihad in Burma as another Muslims are
victims story. But it is not. It is another Islamic supremacist holy war to kill and conquer more
of what we are seeing in the Philippines, Nigeria, Kenya, Israel, Congo, Thailand, Chechnya, etc.
etc.

Rohingyas threat to national security, they have link with Jihad: RSS Chief, by Joseph
Rao, Deccan Chronicle, September 30, 2017:

Nagpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said
Rohingyas are a threat to national security.

Speaking at the RSS traditional annual Dussehra rally in Nagpur Bhagwat said, If we
give shelter to Rohingyas, they will not only put pressure on our jobs, but also pose a
threat to national security.

The RSS Chief also said that Rohingyas have links with Jihad. He added, Rohingyas
have link with Jihad and that is why the government of the other country is acting strict
against them.
He further went on to add that the country has already been facing problem of illegal
Bangladeshi migrants and now Rohingyas have infiltrated into India as well.

Bhagwat said, We had not even completely solved problem of Bangladeshi intrusion
when problem of Myanmar has been heaped on us.

But the Rohingyas in India have found a bittersweet way to live in safety and
misery. Members of the community in Rajiv Nagar told The Quint that India
had been kind to them, while their own country (Myanmar) had inflicted
torture on them. But they want the Indian government to do more.

A few among these Rohingyas have been granted refugee status; most,
havent.

Why are Rohingya Muslims a security threat to India: Not long back the
chief of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Hafiz Saeed had sympathised with the cause
of the Rohingya Muslims. He urged everyone to come forward and support
their cause. Intelligence Bureau officials have very often warned that the
Rohingyas are vulnerable to recruitment by terror groups. The
investigations into the Bodhgaya blasts in Bihar found that the act was
carried out to avenge the atrocities meted out to these persons. The IB has
often warned that they need to be kept under watch. Several terror groups
have made attempts to recruit Rohingya Muslims into their fold. How does
the Government plan to deport Rohingya Muslims? A mechanism is being
chalked out to deport them under the Foreigners Act. According to India
law, the 'refugees' here are mere foreigners that are living illegally which is
the violation of the Foreigners Act and thus are subjected to prosecution
and deportation. The UN has registered most of them. In fact close to
16,500 Rohingya Muslims have been issued identity cards by the UNHRC
to prevent them from being harassed or subject to arbitrary arrests.
However that would not stand in the way of India deporting them. India is
not a signatory to the accord on refugees5.

http://www.opindia.com/2017/03/rohingya-muslims-in-india-from-
refugees-to-a-security-threat/

http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/indias-stand-on-rohingyas-is-
despicable/20170912.htm

5
https://www.oneindia.com/india/who-are-the-rohingya-muslims-and-
why-are-they-are-threat-to-india-2523643.html