India's foreign policy on Burma fails

The majority of people living under the poverty line or one of Asia's poorest people have to spend half their wages on daily travel expenses after the junta doubled gas and diesel prices while raising the price of Compressed Natural Gas by 500 percent.

People came out on the streets to vent their anger but in a peaceful manner. However, women demonstrators were harassed and beaten by the militants of junta-backed Union Solidarity Development Association while there were bloody attacks on the men. In some cases, the Buddhist clergy were tied up and beaten by the security forces. At least 150 protesters against the fuel price hike were detained within two weeks.

In the wake of the ruthless suppression of peaceful demonstrations, UN Secretary General Ban Ki said “Let’s hope that the government in Myanmar will fully democratize their country, and respect and uphold the aspiration of the international community, particularly the release of Madame Aung San Suu Kyi".

However, India, the largest democracy in the world is now encouraging the dictatorship to do whatever they like to suppress Burmese people in the name of a policy of non-interference.

"The cardinal principle of our foreign policy is non-interference in the internal matters of any country", AFP quoted Pranab Mukherjee, the Indian External Affairs Minister as saying during his trip to Thailand. "Neither do we export ideologies ... it is for them (Myanmar’s people) to decide what kind of government they want," he had added.

These words are of a leader of a country which once strongly supported the democracy movement in Burma. This is unbelievable to the Burmese still under the yoke of 45 years of military rule

The present Indian government has conveniently forgotten the brotherly relationship India's great leader Jawaharlal Nehru and Burma's independent hero Aung San had. The detained opposition leader and the daughter of Burma's hero, Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nehru prize in 1995.

In contrast, even the junta's big brother, the Communist Chinese government, has been persuading the junta publicly to go in for democratic reforms and to implement national reconciliation as it is of paramount importance in maintaining stability. The Chinese always have an upper hand over India.

Countering Chinese influence in Burma and self-interest oriented geopolitics, India has been wooing the Burmese military junta since its foreign policy did a U-turn in 1992, where India gave shelter to students who fled after the civilian clothes wearing military went for a coup. It is now the State Peace and Development Council.

India walked the path of the Chinese by selling arms, financing and defending the junta.

However, the question is "Does India gain from its national interest based policy on Burma? Aware of India’s stand, the Burmese junta is playing the Chinese card. Energy starved India lost the bid on natural gas and all of it may be handed soon to China.

India should look to winning the hearts of the Burmese people.