Condemn violence, stand for democracy in Myanmar: MEA

“We have urged the release of political prisoners and supported any attempts at resolving the current situation, including through the efforts of ASEAN. We remain engaged on this issue with our international interlocutors and at the UN Security Council in an effort to play a balanced and constructive role,” he said.

When asked about Indian defence attaché in Myanmar attending a military parade on the occasion of that country’s annual Armed Forces Day on March 27, along with representatives of seven other nations, Bagchi said that India has a “functioning embassy in Myanmar” and the country’s “ambassador, defence attaché and other diplomatic officers, continue to discharge their regular diplomatic responsibilities”.

He added, “Nothing more should be read into this event of attending by our defence attaché.”

Regarding fleeing Myanmar nationals crossing into India, Bagchi said, “As far as border crossings are concerned, we are dealing with it as per our laws and humanitarian considerations.”

The Union government has asked all Myanmar-bordering states and the border guarding force to block the entry of Myanmar nationals coming to India and deport them.

Speaking about the discussions at the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) ministerial meet on April 1, which was also attended by Myanmar, the MEA spokesperson said that it was a “multilateral meeting so it did not discuss the situation in Myanmar as far as I am aware”.