Foreign Secy Harsh Vardhan Shringla begins Myanmar visit in first outreach since coup

During his visit, Shringla will hold discussions with the State Administration Council, political parties and members of civil society. (File image: Twitter/@MEAIndia)

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla began his two-day visit to Myanmar on December 22. This is the first such high-level outreach from India after that country’s military evicted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on February 1.

Shringla will hold discussions with the State Administration Council, political parties and members of the civil society, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

“Issues relating to humanitarian support to Myanmar, security and India-Myanmar border concerns, and the political situation in Myanmar will be discussed,” it said.

The powerful State Administration Council (SAC) is headed by General Min Aung Hlaing.

On February 1, Myanmar’s military grabbed power in the coup and imposed a state of emergency after detaining Nobel laureate Suu Kyi and other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD). The country witnessed massive protests following the coup.

Earlier this month, Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years in jail by a court in Myanmar after holding her guilty of inciting dissent. Her sentence was later reduced to two years.

The Nobel Peace laureate, who led an elected civilian government that was ousted in a February 1 military coup, has been held incommunicado and on trial since June, with court hearings behind closed doors. Suu Kyi, 76, has nearly a dozen cases against her and has rejected all the charges.

As the Myanmarese military continued its crackdown on civilians protesting against the coup, India had in April condemned any use of violence and said it stands for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar.