India expresses concern over coup in Myanmar, says democracy must be upheld
The external affairs ministry said it is monitoring the situation closely after that Myanmar’s military had seized power in a coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi India on Monday expressed “deep concern” at the military coup in Myanmar and detention of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and said the rule of law and democratic process must be upheld
The external affairs ministry said it is monitoring the situation closely after that Myanmar's military had seized power in a coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi India on Monday expressed "deep concern" at the military coup in Myanmar and detention of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and said the rule of law and democratic process must be upheld.
The external affairs ministry said in a brief statement that it is monitoring the situation closely after that Myanmar's military had seized power in a coup against the democratically elected government of Suu Kyi, who was held along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in early morning raids, reports Hindustan Times.
The military also said it had taken control of Myanmar for a year under a state of emergency as phone and internet services were restricted. State-run TV went off the air hours before Parliament had been due to convene for the first time since NLD's landslide election win in November.
"We have noted the developments in Myanmar with deep concern," the external affairs ministry said in its statement.
"India has always been steadfast in its support to the process of democratic transition in Myanmar. We believe that the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld. We are monitoring the situation closely," it said.
India has a complicated relationship with the civilian government and military in Myanmar, as reflected in the most recent high-level Indian visit to the country – foreign secretary Harsh Shringla was accompanied by Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane during the trip last October.
While backing democratic forces in Myanmar, India has also retained close contacts with the military leadership because of security concerns related to its northeastern states. A number of militant groups from the northeast have had bases in Myanmar over the past few decades and the Indian Army has collaborated with its Myanmar counterpart to put pressure on them and conduct joint operations.
At the same time, India believes its contacts with Myanmar's powerful military help balance China's influence within the neighbouring country. This is also one of the reasons why the Indian side has not publicly criticised Myanmar's handling of the Rohingya crisis.