New Delhi: R Madhu Sudan, the Counsellor at the permanent mission of India to the UN on Tuesday said that any instability in Myanmar impacts India directly and emphasized Myanmar’s return to democracy at the earliest.
Speaking at the informal briefing on Myanmar at the UNSC, R Madhu Sudan said, “any instability in Myanmar impacts India directly. The worsening humanitarian situation and incidence of violence have led to the influx of thousands of people from Myanmar across our borders”. He pointed out that India has high stakes in the resolution of the issue of repatriation of displaced persons from the Rakhine state of Myanmar.
Stressing that India is the only country which shares a long border with both Myanmar and Bangladesh, the Indian diplomat said that India has been consistently advocating practical, pragmatic and enduring solutions to the issue. “Towards this end, our support has been for the people on the ground at both Cox’s Bazar and Rakhine state. We commend Bangladesh for hosting million displaced persons in its territory”, he reiterated.
He also said that it is important for the international community to recognize and understand the humanitarian burden that Bangladesh continues to face and the efforts it has undertaken to ensure the well-being of the displaced persons. Madhu Sudan urged the international community to enhance its support financially and otherwise towards the efforts of the Bangladesh government and also assist in ensuring that issues related to radicalization in the camps and other security challenges are addressed expeditiously.
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It is pertinent to note that on May 29, Bangladesh Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen while addressing a conclave in Guwahati had expressed concerns about Myanmar nationals staying in Bangladesh as refugees turning to extremism. Reflecting upon the influx of thousands of people from Myanmar across Indian borders, Madhu Sudan said that any instability in Myanmar impacts India directly. The worsening humanitarian situation and ‘incidence of violence has led to the influx of thousands of people from Myanmar across our borders’.
“Women and children are the worst affected by the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. Restoration of peace, security and stability is, therefore, most important to us”, he added. Madhu Sudan told the Security Council that India has been a long-standing friend of the people of Myanmar. The Indian diplomat said, “We have continued our developmental, humanitarian assistance including in Rakhine state. Recently, we provided over 10,000 tonnes of food grains to Myanmar and granted assistance to alleviate the food shortage situation in the country. We have also given vaccines to Myanmar to mitigate the impact of COVID -19”. According to UNHCR, there are about 11 lakh Rohingya refugees staying in makeshift camps in Cox Bazaar.
