Neighbourhood trap

Caught between defending democracy and protecting its own interests, India struggles to formulate a meaningful response to the coup in Myanmar

- MANDIRA NAYAR

THE NIGHTS HAVE BEEN endless in the Rohingya camp in Delhi since the Myanmarese military overthrew the country’s democratically-elected government on February 1. Watching the images of the violence on their tiny phone screens, the 360 residents in the camp testify that their decision to flee their home was justified. “The world never believed the Rohingyas,’’ said a young man who left Myanmar nine years ago. “Now, the truth is out for everyone to see.”

The unprecedented brutality shown by the military junta in crushing civilian protests continues to make headlines. Two months after the coup, violence continues unabated, with more than 700 people dead. The bloodiest day so far has been March 27, observed as the 76th armed forces day of Myanmar. Although nearly 100 people were killed, it did not stop the junta from organising a grand military parade with diplomats from India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand in attendance.

The presence of the Indian defence attaché caused outrage among the pro-democracy activists in Myanmar and beyond. The Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) of Myanmar asked on Twitter why India—“one of the greatest democracies in the world”—chose to “shake hands with the generals whose hands are soaked with our blood”. The spokesperson of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH)—government in exile formed by the lawmakers belonging to the National League of Democracy—said: “The foreign diplomats who attended this shameful armed forces day are a disgrace to their own people, their governments and to the international community.”