‘Going to Rakhine is not without danger, Indians should leave the place immediately’, MEA advisory for Indians in Myanmar

Due to the violence and tense situation in Myanmar, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued an advisory on Tuesday (February 6, 2024) advising Indian citizens not to travel to Rakhine state and Indians living there to return immediately. . It was also said by the ministry that the Indians currently living in Rakhine state should immediately move to some other safe place.

The Ministry of External Affairs’ advisory said, “In view of the deteriorating security situation, disruption in all means of telecommunication, including landlines, and serious shortage of essential commodities, all Indian citizens are advised not to travel to Rakhine State of Myanmar.” “Civilians already in Rakhine are advised to evacuate immediately.”

Advice to register yourself with the Indian Embassy

Meanwhile, news agency PTI reported that the Ministry of External Affairs also said that all Indian citizens planning to stay in Myanmar are advised to register themselves with the Indian Embassy in Yangon. Registration with the Embassy will enable the citizens to be covered under any emergency situation or any rescue operation or other facilities undertaken by the Government of India should such need arise.

‘The situation in Myanmar will affect India too’

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said – Instability in Myanmar is going to have a direct impact on our country. We are very concerned about the situation in Myanmar. Being our neighboring country, we want democracy to be restored there. The Government of India is constantly monitoring every situation.

Why has the situation in Myanmar deteriorated?

In fact, since the army seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021, widespread violent protests have been taking place in Myanmar demanding the restoration of democracy. Myanmar’s army has been carrying out airstrikes targeting armed fighters, while violence in Myanmar has increased significantly in the last few months. The three ethnic minority forces launched a simultaneous offensive against military rule in October last year. Ethnic forces also captured some towns and military posts. In December last year, at least 151 Myanmar soldiers fled into Mizoram to escape an armed ethnic group.

Myanmar shares 1640 km border with India

About 104 soldiers had fled across the India-Myanmar border to Mizoram after their camps were captured by the militia-People’s Defense Force (PDF) in November 2023. Due to the current situation in the country, a large number of people are coming to Mizoram from Myanmar on the India-Myanmar border. If seen, Myanmar is one of India’s strategic neighbors. The borders of many north-eastern states of India are connected to Myanmar. India shares a border of approximately 1,640 km long.