Indians appeal to foreign ministry, seek proactive role on Myanmar

Kolkata, March 8 : Nearly thirty Indian jurists, civil rights activists, media personalities and academics who work and write on Myanmar have appealed to the Modi government to play a proactive role for bringing “an immediate end to the current bloodshed and confrontation, and a restoration of peace in Myanmar.” Most of the signatories hail from India’s Northeast which shares a 1643-kms border with Myanmar.
“We call on the Government of India, as a long-standing friend of Myanmar and its peoples, to urge the regime to respect the will of the people and return to democratic rule,” said the petition to External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar.
The petition, also copied to Foreign Secretary H.V. Shringla and other officials of the external affairs ministry, called for immediate release of NLD’s supreme leader Daw Aung Saan Suu Kyi, deposed President Win Myint and other senior leaders of democratic parties.
The signatories came up with an six -point charter of demands aimed at the Myanmarese military junta : * Respect the will of the people and return to democratic rule.