“We want secession of violence, resolution of situation”: MEA on airstrikes at Indo-Myanmar border

New Delhi [India] : India on Thursday called for the end of violence after an airstrike at the Indo-Myanmar border and emphasised the resolution of the situation through constructive dialogue.

“Our position on the ongoing situation in Myanmar is very clear. We want secession of the violence and the resolution of the situation through constructive dialogue. We reiterate our call for the return of peace, stability and democracy in Myanmar,” said Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday in a weekly briefing.

Around 5000 people from Myanmar have entered Mizoram following a fresh airstrike by the Myanmar army in the bordering areas along the Indo-Myanmar border.

Bagchi further emphasised that, as a result of fighting in the Rikhawdar area, which is opposite Zokhawthar on the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram, in the Chin state of Myanmar, “there has been a movement of Myanmar nationals to the Indian side. We are deeply concerned with such incidents close to our border.”

“We reiterate our call for the return of peace, stability and democracy in Myanmar,” Bagchi stressed.

Recalling how the conflict ignited, the MEA spokespersons said that it started in 2021 in Myanmar, and a large number of Myanmar citizens have been taking refuge in India since then.

Local authorities in the concerned neighbouring states have been handling the situation appropriately on humanitarian grounds, adding, “We have also been facilitating the return of those who wish to go back to their country, to that country that is Myanmar.”

Around 5000 Myanmar nationals are now taking shelter in the Zokhawthar area of Mizoram’s Champhai district as they fled from Myanmar and entered the Champhai district following a fresh airstrike by the Myanmar army in the bordering areas along the Indo-Myanmar border.

There are around 160 families from Myanmar now residing in Lipui in the Zokhawthar area. The district administration, NGOs, the Young Mizo Association, and the Village Council have provided food, clothes, and medicines to the Myanmar refugees, who are now taking shelter in makeshift tents in the Zokhawthar area.

In a recent development along the Myanmar border, the People’s Defence Force (PDF) of Myanmar attacked and captured two Myanmar Army posts. This led to 39 Myanmar Army personnel seeking refuge in Mizoram and subsequently surrendering to the Mizoram Police.

The total number of Myanmar Army personnel who have surrendered so far stands at 42.
Myanmar’s military junta is facing its biggest test since taking power in a 2021 coup after three ethnic minority forces launched a coordinated offensive in late October, capturing some towns and military posts, Reuters reported.

Last week, the military-installed president said that Myanmar was at risk of “breaking apart” because of an ineffective response to the rebellion. As per Reuters, the new combat will be another blow for the junta, which is increasingly stretched amid mounting armed opposition, fuelled by anger over the coup and crackdown.