New Delhi: Owing to the rising incidents of violence in Myanmar, which has been under military ‘junta’ rule since February 2021, India on Tuesday hosted the second round of Track 1.5 dialogue under the aegis of the Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA) and prioritised providing humanitarian assistance, according to official sources.
The Track 1.5 talks on Myanmar began last month in Bangkok in which all 10 countries that constitute the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also called for immediate stopping of violence in that country unleashed by the junta.
During the meeting Tuesday, India along with ASEAN held discussions that “covered the current situation in Myanmar, reduction of violence, countering transnational crimes, national reconciliation, and delivery of humanitarian aid,” sources told ABP Live.
Countries, including ASEA Chair Indonesia, also agreed that delivery of humanitarian aid to Myanmar needs “to be expedited”.
Countries of the region need to continue supporting ASEAN’s efforts and they agreed that there is a “need for a regional coordinated approach to combat transnational crimes” and that Myanmar’s crucial role in that had to be supported.
The Track 1.5 talks, which also witnessed participation from representatives of think tanks and academia, also called for the reduction of violence by all sides and creating political space for dialogue.
They also discussed ways to effectively implement ASEAN's ‘5-point consensus’ Myanmar that was enunciated in April 2021, two months after Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing forcefully took over charge by staging a coup. All member countries have agreed to continue this parallel dialogue track.
India and Myanmar are continuing to have bilateral ties despite the coup even as New Delhi is facing severe security threats in the north-eastern states of Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram. However, the Indian Army has ramped up its activities there to ensure that no armed militants from Myanmar can enter India through the north-east.
“Our nation traditionally opposes all forms of societal violence, whether they are carried out by a certain group of people or a state. We are against violence and terrorism," Lt Gen Kalita, who was attending the diamond jubilee celebrations of HQ 101 area in Shillong, told reporters earlier this week.
He added, “When fighting occurs near the border areas, people from Myanmar flee to our side in order to avoid the conflict. Only unarmed persons are allowed to enter this side and it is the Army's job to ensure that. It is our responsibility to make sure that no one carrying weapons enters our territory.”
In 2019, junta leader Hlaing visited India and both sides signed an MoU on enhanced defence cooperation.
Ban Ki-Moon Undertakes A Surprise Visit To Myanmar
Meanwhile, the junta continued with its violent activities attacking its own people in the country by carrying out air strikes in the Sagaing Region on Monday that resulted in several casualties.
This happened even as former United Nations chief Ban Ki-Moon landed in capital Naypyidaw in a surprise visit in an effort to urge the military generals of Myanmar to reduce violence and engaged themselves in a meaningful and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders.
The former UN Secretary-General was representing ‘The Elders’, an NGO founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007 comprising a group of senior public figures who continue to work on peace, justice and human rights.
The junta is apparently now planning to hold elections in Myanmar in November even as Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) has been dissolved that stood for democracy there.