India should not send the Rohingyas it has been hosting as their lives will be at risk, the United Nations has said. The global body reiterated that funding is urgently necessary to speed up the relief operations for the Rohingyas. “We believe that every Government, whether or not they’re a signatory to the Refugee Convention, should treat people fleeing conflict, who are fleeing because their lives are at risk, with the utmost respect,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary‑general told a regular briefing on Thursday when asked if the global body is disappointed by the approach of the Indian government, which, according to the reporter, told the supreme court that it’s not going to adhere to the policy of non-refoulement with regard to Rohingya refugees and has again raised concerns about the terror threat that Rohingya refugees face.

“And people should not be sent out… sent back facing risks and… and putting their lives… when they have their lives at risk,” he said.

Now, he added, “Obviously, this is not to say that countries [don’t] have a responsibility to ensure that their populations remain safe, but there are overarching… we believe there are overarching principles that need to be held up.”

The spokesperson also told the briefing that according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) the number of Rohingya refugees fleeing from Myanmar to Bangladesh has reached 429,000 people.

Heavy rains have caused the majority of shelters in low-lying areas to flood, hampering the delivery of aid, he said, adding, “OCHA stresses that funding is urgently needed to scale up aid distribution.”

Meanwhile, Dujarric said that the UN migration agency

[IOM] is airlifting 100 tons of supplies, including food and  tents, donated by Saudi Arabia to help Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar for Bangladesh.

“The supplies are scheduled to arrive early tomorrow (Friday) morning, and IOM will be organising a convoy of some 20 trucks to deliver it to Cox’s Bazar,” he said.

“More than half of the people who have arrived in Bangladesh from Myanmar are still living in makeshift camps with little access to shelter, food, clean water and sanitation, according to IOM,” said the spokesperson.

To a question, he said that the UN still does not know the amount of money that will be required to conduct the humanitarian activities