Why a progressive Indian policy on Myanmar is more than plausible, Pg 10.

Key Highlights:

• India continues formal ties with Myanmar’s junta despite over 5,000 civilian deaths and 2.5 million displacements since the 2021 coup.
• India has failed to engage the pro-democracy resistance, including the National Unity Government (NUG) and ethnic organisations.
• The article calls for a values-driven foreign policy anchored in democracy and human security.
• India must leverage its federal democratic credentials to support Myanmar’s democratic transition.
• It recommends halting military supplies and opening cross-border humanitarian corridors.
• India should stop deporting asylum seekers and uphold the principle of non-refoulement.
• Adopting such a policy would allow India to outmanoeuvre China in Myanmar.

Detailed Insights:

• India’s current approach frames its “interests” in narrow security and geopolitical terms, ignoring humanitarian consequences.
• A shift to values-based engagement would:
• Build long-term goodwill among Myanmar’s democratic forces.
• Enhance India’s soft power in Southeast Asia.
• Provide an alternative to China’s transactional, military-focused ties.
• Four policy steps proposed:
  • Use India’s democratic federal model to assist Myanmar’s opposition in drafting a federal constitution via capacity-building and knowledge sharing.
  • Cease weapon and diesel sales to Myanmar’s military, which are used to target civilians.
  • Reopen the Free Movement Regime (FMR), halt border fencing, and allow cross-border humanitarian aid through Mizoram and other entry points.
  • Stop deportations of Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers, and treat them as persons in need of international protection.
• India can take cues from Thailand’s cross-border humanitarian model to ensure aid reaches civilians without junta interference.

Concepts Involved:

• Non-refoulement: A principle of international law that prohibits returning refugees to a country where they may face persecution or danger.
• Free Movement Regime (FMR): An agreement between India and Myanmar allowing border tribes to travel 16 km across either side without visa restrictions.
• Federal Constitution: A governance framework that distributes power between the central and regional governments, seen as an alternative to Myanmar’s 2008 military-drafted constitution.