Keep focus on welfare of civilians: India on Rakhine violence

NEW DELHI: India, hours after State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi’s state of the union address, has stressed on restoration of normalcy in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and called for the situation to be handled with restraint.

Outlining its position at the UN, Rajiv Chander, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, said: “It is imperative that violence is ended and normalcy in the state is restored expeditiously through a solution based on respect for peace, communal harmony, justice, dignity and democratic values.” “We urge that the situation in Rakhine state be handled with restraint, focusing on the welfare of the civilian population,” Chander stated, indicating to the commitment that India has made to develop socio-economic projects in Rakhine. Chander was speaking at an interactive dialogue with the fact-finding mission on Myanmar at the 36th session of the Human Rights Council.

In her address, Suu Kyi said she felt ‘deeply’ for the suffering of ‘all people’ in the conflict, and that Myanmar was ‘committed to a sustainable solution… for all communities in this state’. Suu Kyi said she nevertheless wanted the international community to know what was being done by her government.

Pointing to India’s concern over the recent violence, Chander said: “We take note that this violence was triggered by a series of terrorist attacks which led to loss of lives among security forces as well as the civilian population.”The Indian Permanent Representative said that the only long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine was socioeconomic and infrastructure development. “Such development would generate employment opportunities and economic activity that should have a positive impact on all the communities living in the state,” he stated.

The UN office in Bangladesh said on Monday that around 415,000 refugees have entered the country since August 25. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had shared Delhi’s concerns over the situation in Rakhine during a meeting with Myanmar Suu Kyi when he visited Nay Pyi Taw earlier this month as the two sides decided to ramp up counter-terror partnership as well as development projects in the restive state.