Military coup: Indian embassy advises Indians in Myanmar to avoid unnecessary travel

The Indian embassy in Yangon has asked all Indian citizens residing in Myanmar to take due precautions and avoid unnecessary travel, in an advisory issued following the military coup and subsequent political developments in the country.

Myanmar’s powerful military grabbed power in a coup against the civilian government and imposed a state of emergency after detaining Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) in the early hours on Monday.

“In view of the recent developments in Myanmar, all Indian citizens are required to take due precautions and avoid unnecessary travel,” the embassy said.

“They may be in touch with the embassy, if required,” it said in the advisory titled ‘Message for Indian citizens residing in Myanmar in connection with the recent political scenario in Myanmar’.

In its reaction to the developments in the country, India had on Monday expressed “deep concern” and said the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld in the country.

India also said it was monitoring the situation closely and that it has been steadfast in supporting the democratic transition in that country.

The Myanmarese military staged the coup amid its rising friction with the ruling NLD government over the results of the November 8 general election. The NLD had registered a thumping victory in the polls. However, the military had alleged discrepancies in the electoral process.

The democratic transition in Myanmar had taken place in 2011 after decades of military rule.

According to the Indian embassy, around 7,000 non resident Indians are living in Myanmar while the number of Indian origin people in that country could be in the range of 1.5-2.5 million.