SAHRDC Reports

The Situation of Burmese Refugees in Asia: Special Focus on India

The South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC) has closely been monitoring the situation of the Burmese refugees in Asia with special focus on India.

Hundreds of pro-democracy activists took shelter in border states of North east India. The staunch support of pro-democracy movement by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made students in Yangoon to seek help from India. However, after five years diplomatic stand-off, Prime Minister Narashima Rao sent Mr J N Dixit to Yangoon in April 1993 to mend fences with the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). The Deputy Foreign Minister of Burma also visited New Delhi early 1994 and exerted pressure upon New Delhi to stop anti-SLORC activities..

SAHRDC Reports

The State of Refugees under the Protection of UNHCR in New Delhi

The following study conducted by the South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC) seeks to examine the services offered by the New Delhi office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) to the refugee population in the Union Territory of Delhi, India. This examination is done keeping in view the provisions of the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the UNHCR guidelines as well as other related International instruments.

SAHRDC Reports

The Stateless Chakmas and Hajongs of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh: A study of systematic repression

A study of systematic repression

While statelessness has long been recognized as an important problem in international law, the desire of states to exercise control over stateless persons in their jurisdictions has prevented effective action. The 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons has attracted only thirty-seven signatories, and a mere fifteen states have ratified the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. The indifference of national governments and the inaction of the international community has led to a large number of persons who are particularly vulnerable to oppression because they lack the protection afforded by rights of citizenship. The stateless are “denied the vehicle for access to fundamental rights, access to protection and access to expression as person[s] under the law”.

SAHRDC Reports

Survival, Dignity and Democracy: Burmese Refugees in India, 1997

Since September 1988, when the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) came to power, approximately one million Burmese nationals have fled to neighboring states. Approximately 55,000 Burmese nationals are currently in India, however, of that number, only about 467 are recognized and protected refugees of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in India. This report focuses on the plight of Burmese refugees in India, in particular, the predicament of Burmese nationals who remain unrecognized and unassisted in the North Eastern frontier, and the situation of the refugee population in Delhi.

SAHRDC Reports

Willing Suspension of Disbelief – Parliamentary Elections in Jammu and Kashmir

“To be free, participation in elections must be conducted in an atmosphere characterized by the absence of intimidation and the presence of a wide range of fundamental human rights.”(1)

1. INTRODUCTION
There is universal acknowledgement that free and fair elections are key to recognizing the right to self-determination. It is this clash of contrary opinions, manifested through informed choice through a ballot which is the basis of all democratic governance. An environment that is sensitive and responsive of basic human rights is an essential prerequisite for any election, which seeks to be characterized as free and fair.

Internship Programme

Internship programme

SAHRDC has a long-standing internship programme. It accepts interns from all over the world, who have a serious human rights commitment. Intending interns should be prepared and capable of hard and diligent research work. SAHRDC welcomes students, mid-term career professionals and lawyers looking for a sabbatical with good analytical and research aptitude.

At any given point, SAHRDC has a number of ongoing projects. We welcome interns willing to help in these projects. Most of these projects entail copious research work. Some of them require travel within Asia.  Interns are able to assume a significant amount of responsibility. In the past, students from Yale Law School, Columbia University, Harvard University, Fordham, University of Virginia, University of Minnesota, New York Law School and Chicago Law School from the United States have interned with SAHRDC. 

SAHRDC has also had interns from the London School of Economics, Essex University and the University of London from the United Kingdom. Indian interns have being from the National Law School University of India, Bangalore, The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, The Tata Institute for Social Sciences, Mumbai, University of Delhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru University. 

All of them have seen their own projects through, from visiting a refugee camp or researching at the Indian Law Institute or doing field visits to other Asian countries to writing most of the final reports themselves.  

 

You should note that SAHRDC does not have paid positions available for interns.

To complete your application for an internship, please send us a detailed CV and a writing sample. The writing sample could be a term paper of between 10 and 15 pages.

  
International internship applicants are advised that they may have problems obtaining Indian visas to intern with SAHRDC in New Delhi. One of SAHRDC’s campaigns is to ensure that all Indian Intelligence agencies are accountable to the Indian Parliament and all their spending is scrutinised by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. As a consequence, we learn from reliable sources that Indian diplomatic missions have been advised by the Deep State to refuse visas to international internship applicants. In the circumstances, if international interns are denied visas, SAHRDC now offers virtual internships. These internships will not necessitate your physical presence in India. Virtual Interns will be in daily touch on Skype and email about internship projects assigned to them.

Do not hesitate to contact us again should you require any further information or clarification.   

 

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