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Internment of Chinese Indians
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Internment of Chinese Indians
The internment of Chinese Indians was the forced relocation and incarceration of 3,000 Chinese Indians in an internment camp in Deoli, Rajasthan during Sino-Indian War in 1962. They were detained without trial as per the Defence of India Act, 1962. The internees were released in a phase by phase manner until the last internee was released in 1967. After the internment, many Chinese Indians (Indians with Chinese ancestry) were resettled with equal rights, and some were deported or coerced to leave India. Nearly all internees had their properties sold off or looted.
Indian officials openly compare the internment of Chinese Indians with the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. However, unlike the United States, the Indian government has not apologised or offered compensation to the internees.
The earliest recorded Chinese settlers in British India arrived in Calcutta in 1780. Because of the long history of tea cultivation in China, the British colonial authorities attempted to lure experienced workers from China to work on the newly established tea plantations in Assam, starting in 1838. Other Chinese migrants were refugees from poverty, famine, and disasters in China. By the late 19th century, the people of Chinese origin had gained a reputation as craftsmen and traders in East India. During World War II and the Chinese Communist Revolution, a large wave of Chinese war refugees settled in Calcutta, Northern Bengal, and Northeast India. By the end of World War II, the Chinese Indian population was estimated by the British colonial government to be 26,250. Estimates of the ethnic Chinese population in 1962 varied from 20,000 to 60,000.
Following the independence of the Republic of India in 1947 and the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the two countries enjoyed a period of friendly relationship, despite having unresolved border disputes in the areas of NEFA and Aksai Chin. The relationship deteriorated, however, after the construction of a Chinese highway in Aksai Chin in 1957, and India's support of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. The hostilities culminated in the brief 1962 Sino-Indian War, resulting in a Chinese victory but no change in the effective boundary between the two countries. The fighting lasted from 10 October to 20 November 1962. On 21 November, China declared ceasefire and withdrew from NEFA, the larger of the two disputed territories, but kept the smaller Aksai Chin.
After the outbreak of the war, the Indian government and some members of academia systematically portrayed the Chinese minority as untrustworthy and deceitful. The rising nationalism in India entailed assaults on the ethnic Chinese, including Indian citizens and residents who had lived in India for generations. Many Chinese schools and media were shut down, and people of Chinese descent were assaulted by mainstream Indians; their property, restaurants, and shops damaged.
The civil liberties of the ethnic Chinese were curtailed. People of Chinese descent were required to report to the authorities for "registration and classification", and it became harder for non-citizens to meet the residency requirements. The legal definition of foreigners was extended to include Indian citizens of Chinese descent.
Faced with widespread hostility, many Chinese Indians expressed their support and loyalty for the Indian cause, condemned the Chinese government, and donated to India's defence funds. However, their expressions of support were met with suspicion and contempt.
After its defeat in the war, India passed the Defence of India Act in December 1962, permitting the "apprehension and detention in custody of any person [suspected] of being of hostile origin". The broad language of the act allowed for the arrest of any person simply for having a Chinese surname or a Chinese spouse. Under this law, 10,000 people of Chinese origin were estimated to have been detained from all over India, including Calcutta, Bombay, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jamshedpur, and the Northeast. All of them were accused of being spies, but not a single charge has ever been proven. The internment of Chinese Indians violated both the Constitution of India and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which India was an original signatory.
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Internment of Chinese Indians
The internment of Chinese Indians was the forced relocation and incarceration of 3,000 Chinese Indians in an internment camp in Deoli, Rajasthan during Sino-Indian War in 1962. They were detained without trial as per the Defence of India Act, 1962. The internees were released in a phase by phase manner until the last internee was released in 1967. After the internment, many Chinese Indians (Indians with Chinese ancestry) were resettled with equal rights, and some were deported or coerced to leave India. Nearly all internees had their properties sold off or looted.
Indian officials openly compare the internment of Chinese Indians with the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. However, unlike the United States, the Indian government has not apologised or offered compensation to the internees.
The earliest recorded Chinese settlers in British India arrived in Calcutta in 1780. Because of the long history of tea cultivation in China, the British colonial authorities attempted to lure experienced workers from China to work on the newly established tea plantations in Assam, starting in 1838. Other Chinese migrants were refugees from poverty, famine, and disasters in China. By the late 19th century, the people of Chinese origin had gained a reputation as craftsmen and traders in East India. During World War II and the Chinese Communist Revolution, a large wave of Chinese war refugees settled in Calcutta, Northern Bengal, and Northeast India. By the end of World War II, the Chinese Indian population was estimated by the British colonial government to be 26,250. Estimates of the ethnic Chinese population in 1962 varied from 20,000 to 60,000.
Following the independence of the Republic of India in 1947 and the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the two countries enjoyed a period of friendly relationship, despite having unresolved border disputes in the areas of NEFA and Aksai Chin. The relationship deteriorated, however, after the construction of a Chinese highway in Aksai Chin in 1957, and India's support of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. The hostilities culminated in the brief 1962 Sino-Indian War, resulting in a Chinese victory but no change in the effective boundary between the two countries. The fighting lasted from 10 October to 20 November 1962. On 21 November, China declared ceasefire and withdrew from NEFA, the larger of the two disputed territories, but kept the smaller Aksai Chin.
After the outbreak of the war, the Indian government and some members of academia systematically portrayed the Chinese minority as untrustworthy and deceitful. The rising nationalism in India entailed assaults on the ethnic Chinese, including Indian citizens and residents who had lived in India for generations. Many Chinese schools and media were shut down, and people of Chinese descent were assaulted by mainstream Indians; their property, restaurants, and shops damaged.
The civil liberties of the ethnic Chinese were curtailed. People of Chinese descent were required to report to the authorities for "registration and classification", and it became harder for non-citizens to meet the residency requirements. The legal definition of foreigners was extended to include Indian citizens of Chinese descent.
Faced with widespread hostility, many Chinese Indians expressed their support and loyalty for the Indian cause, condemned the Chinese government, and donated to India's defence funds. However, their expressions of support were met with suspicion and contempt.
After its defeat in the war, India passed the Defence of India Act in December 1962, permitting the "apprehension and detention in custody of any person [suspected] of being of hostile origin". The broad language of the act allowed for the arrest of any person simply for having a Chinese surname or a Chinese spouse. Under this law, 10,000 people of Chinese origin were estimated to have been detained from all over India, including Calcutta, Bombay, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jamshedpur, and the Northeast. All of them were accused of being spies, but not a single charge has ever been proven. The internment of Chinese Indians violated both the Constitution of India and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which India was an original signatory.