An interview with Salai Dokhar, leader of India for Myanmar
August 2, 2022
India – the world’s largest democracy – has remained silent on the military coup against the civilian government in neighboring Myanmar. After coming to power, the military has repeatedly committed war crimes, such as killing civilians and torching homes across the country, which has been strongly condemned and sanctioned by the international community, including the United Nations and the United States. However, the Indian government continues to maintain close ties with the State Administration Council (SAC) and provides either diplomatic or military support to the regime.
Currently, there are also people in India who are calling on the Indian government not to support the military council either diplomatically or militarily and instead support the resistance forces fighting to restore democracy in Myanmar.
On July 25, a coalition of more than 180 civil society organizations in Myanmar signed an open letter to political parties and civil society organizations in India. Salai Dokhar, leader of India for Myanmar and a leading organizer of the movement, was interviewed to learn why the letter was sent, what the main demands are, India’s position on Myanmar, and how important India is to the success of the Spring Revolution.
Q: First of all, I would like to know what is the purpose of the open letter to the political parties and civil society organizations in India.
A: First and foremost, the current Indian government is the only democratic government that still supports the military council. It is the only democratic neighbor of Myanmar. But the Indian government is still working with the coup regime and turning a blind eye to the resistance forces in the country. Recently, there have been cases of Indian ambassadors even visiting members of SAC. We tried to inform the Indian government about such events, but they never listened to us.
Therefore, we sent the letter in the hope that the Indian government will change its stance when pressured by the Indian people, as it is a democracy. That’s why we asked for help from the Indian political parties and civil society organizations that have emerged from the people.
Q: What are the main demands in the letter?
A: We have four main demands. The first calls on the Indian people to stand with the people of Myanmar, the second calls on the Indian government to stop all support for the military council, including diplomatic recognition and the provision of weapons, the third calls on the Indian government to impose economic sanctions on Myanmar, and the fourth calls on the Indian government to provide humanitarian assistance to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Myanmar.
Q: I would like to know how you see India’s stance on democracy in Myanmar?
A: First of all, we are not satisfied with the Indian government towards the democracy movement in Myanmar. Therefore, we have urged Indian political parties and civil society organizations to put pressure on their government. In summary, the current attitude of the Indian government is a great disappointment to us. It has supported the military council and almost never raised its voice in support of the people of Myanmar who are fighting for democracy.
Q: How important is India to the ongoing revolution in Myanmar?
A: To be clear, India is one of the most important countries for the revolution in Myanmar. As a neighbor of Myanmar, if India had stood by decisively, it would have created a situation for us to seek political asylum and obtain the necessary weapons. So India is one of the most important countries, especially for the resistance in Myanmar. But diplomatically, the U.S. and the EU are even more important. I believe that if India resolutely supports the resistance forces on the ground, this revolution will be successful in a short time.
Q: What can India do for political reform in Myanmar?
A: The Indian government can support the resistance forces on the ground, provide humanitarian aid and help us accelerate the revolution by allowing us to open an office in India. There are a lot of things India can do for us. If India supports the resistance forces that are currently fighting, it is in a better geopolitical position to help us. I just want to say that there is no other country that can help the resistance groups on the ground in Myanmar as much as India can, considering how big it is.
Q: Let me know your opinion on the current state of relations between India and the military council.
A: The relations between India and Myanmar are very close. It is just like between China and Myanmar. In my opinion, after the military coup, the military council’s relations with India have become even better than with China. For example, India has diplomatically legitimized the military council by repeatedly doing things like appointing ambassadors, holding frequent meetings through its ambassadors, and helping the coup regime hold elections.
Moreover, the Indian government provides its humanitarian aid only through the military regime. So, India is helping the military council diplomatically. The second point is that the Indian government regularly sells arms to the coup regime. So, in summary, India is the country that’s supported the military council the most since it came to power, both diplomatically and by supplying weapons.
Q: Why is India siding with the military council that’s committed war crimes?
A: It depends mainly on India’s current foreign policy. By that I mean they are approaching the matter in such a way that India is now pursuing a neutral policy. In the case of Russia, for example, it is acting neutrally and hasn’t voted. When it comes to the vote in UN on the military council, India is neutral. If you look at the current relations between India and the military council, India isn’t neutral. India is trying to maintain close relations with the coup regime, leaving out the people of Myanmar.
In my opinion, India is approaching the ruling government of Myanmar in parallel with China. China is a real rival of India and Myanmar borders both countries. So, I think they’re trying to support the coup regime and get closer to it and then exert political influence on Myanmar.
Q: Tens of thousands of Burmese refugees are now in the Indian state of Mizoram, but the Indian government is not helping them. How would you assess that?
A: First of all, India has many citizens who are starving in their own country. And there are a number of people from Bangladesh and Pakistan who have found refuge in India. If they help those who are fleeing Myanmar, they are afraid that people from other countries will ask for it. Another reason could be that they keep justifying to the international community that there are no refugees in their country. I think they pretend that they do not know the people who have come to their country just to show that there are no refugees.
Q: What does your organization plan to do next?
A: We will keep sending the open letter until it reaches the political parties and civil society organizations. I’m sending it now. Second, we’re trying to organize a protest rally every month. We have comic books and flyers that we send out with the open letter. We also have handouts that we’ll continue to distribute. Later, we plan to publish them privately and distribute them to young people, especially university students.
Q: What else would you like to add?
A: The last thing I’d like to ask is the people of Myanmar and all revolutionary groups to help us put pressure on India, whether in the form of finance or manpower. Because only India will be the main force for our real revolution on the ground. If India stands by our resistance forces, our revolution will be very encouraging. Even though the West’s efforts to help us diplomatically are very effective, India’s help will be of great benefit to those who are fighting on the ground. Therefore, I’d like to call on all revolutionary groups to join forces to put pressure on the Indian government.
Sent from KMG