Security situation in Myanmar will impact Indian consulate in Sittwe, says MEA

Last week, India expressed concern at the violence and instability in Myanmar on the third anniversary of the 2021 coup by the junta and said developments there have direct implications for the security of the country

New Delhi: India on Thursday reiterated its concerns about developments along the border with Myanmar, where the junta is on the back foot because of a concerted offensive by resistance forces, and said the security situation will impact the Indian consulate in Sittwe.

The Indian government has decided to immediately suspend the Free Movement Regime for people living along the India-Myanmar border (File Photo)

The Indian government has decided to immediately suspend the Free Movement Regime for people living along the India-Myanmar border, following an earlier decision to completely fence the 1,643 km frontier. The decisions were made after thousands of Myanmar citizens, including military personnel, entered Manipur and Mizoram to escape the fighting in recent weeks.

The security situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state is “worrisome” and “critical” and the Indian side has issued an advisory asking its citizens to leave the region, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media briefing. Indian nationals have also been advised against travelling to Rakhine state, he said.

Jaiswal said he did not have the exact number of Indian nationals present in Rakhine state, where India has had a consulate at Sittwe since 2014. “The security situation will have an impact on our consulate. We are looking at the situation, and we will see how best to deal with it,” he said.

He declined to answer questions on whether the Indian side has informed authorities in Myanmar about the suspension of the Free Movement Regime and the fencing of the entire border and said home minister Amit Shah had already made statements on these issues.

Rakhine state is among the areas where armed ethnic groups have registered significant successes against Myanmar’s junta since three powerful organisations launched a concerted offensive last October.

Last week, India expressed concern at the violence and instability in Myanmar on the third anniversary of the 2021 coup by the junta and said developments there have direct implications for the security of the country. This was after Myanmar’s military rulers extended a state of emergency that has been in place since the coup that ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Indian side has also called for the complete cessation of violence in Myanmar and a transition towards an inclusive and federal democracy.