New Delhi: As fighting between Myanmar’s military junta and resistance forces intensifies, India on Friday said it is closely monitoring developments in the neighbouring country.

New Delhi also said it supports a Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned process for the return of peace and stability to the country.

According to reports, the rebel forces captured the Western Command headquarters in Ann town of Rakhine state after weeks of intense fighting.

“We are following developments in Myanmar very closely. We understand that the fighting has intensified, and we are following the evolving situation very closely,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.

India had relocated officials serving in the Indian consulate in the port city of Sittwe to Yangon in April, he said.

Sittwe is the capital city of Rakhine state.

“But even though the relocation has happened, our consulate in Sittwe continues to be functional,” Jaiswal said, responding to a question.

“We also have several developmental cooperation projects in (Myanmar) which continue to go forward. I must emphasise that these projects are all grant-based projects from India, and they are intended to serve the interests of the people of Myanmar,” he said.

Jaiswal said foreign secretary Vikram Misri travelled to Thailand on Thursday to participate in informal consultations among Myanmar’s neighbours on the situation in that country.

“Our position on Myanmar has been consistent. We have called for cessation of all violence, we have called for peace and stability and resolution of the ethnic issue through the establishment of a genuine federal democracy,” he said.

“We also believe that this process of return of stability should be Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned and should take into account the views of all stakeholders to ensure that peace and stability return to Myanmar early,” he said. Myanmar has been witnessing wide-spread violent protests demanding restoration of democracy since the military seized power in the coup on February 1, 2021.

The resistance forces have already captured many key trading points along the borders with India, China and Bangladesh.

Myanmar is one of India’s strategic neighbours and it shares a 1,640-km-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.

In view of the violence and instability in border areas of Myanmar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah in January announced a plan to fence the border. 

 

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