A Study of Indian Ocean Region as Escape Route of Refugees and Emerging Diasporic Identities

By : Priyanka Jain

Page No: 365-382

Abstract
The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a strategic trade route starting from eastern Africa to western Australia covering in between Arabian sea to the west of Indian sub-continent and Bay of Bengal in the East. It also surrounds Saudi Arabia covering borders of Egypt and Iran. An escape route for Rohingya migrants with overturned boat in the region has sparked off controversy of illegal migration in the IOR. The rescuing nation was Indonesia demonstrating complete humanitarian face for the migrants found dwindling in the ocean, lost with all hopes of getting back to their native homes. Indonesia, though not a signatory to UN Convention of Refugees has adopted a humanitarian approach, despite being not an obligation.This paper is based on the premise that IOR acts as a migrating route for refugees to escape to more secured places against the atrocities inflicted by their countries of origin. Further, the paper explores how nations falling within the region act as footholds of new diasporic identities for these migrants. Hailing, originally from Western Myanmar, Rohingyas face hostility in their country of origin and this becomes the reason of their illegal migration. A total of approximately 7,00,000 is the figure quoted of migrants who fled Myanmar for safety and raised a humanitarian call.The countries which are expected to give refugee in the IOR are themselves struggling for economic resources as they are lower-income nations and middle-income group nations. In such a situation, debates are raised on how far the expectation of asylum or refuge is justified from these nations, when their own native country has marginalised them. Based on secondary resources on the subject in form of books, online articles and media sources, the paper attempts to bring forth the strategies required to put in place a mechanism forjustified protection to the refugees escaping through IOR. In the process, the paper comes up with a revelation that Rohingyas are not the only refugees predominating on the scene of IOR as there are others also in the league. The paper concludes by contrasting and comparing the narratives and experiences  of Sri Lankan Tamils and Rohingyas who used IOR as an escape ground and source of their newly emerging diasporic identities.

Author
Dr. Priyanka Jain, Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Education, Galgotias University.
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/JIOS.2025.33.03.7