Indian embassy relocates staff to Yangon as Myanmar conflict intensifies

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday that Indian Embassy officials were being relocated from Sittwe to Yangon due to the “precarious and deteriorating” situation in Myanmar.

According to the MEA, this is a reaction to the growing internal turmoil in Myanmar where the military junta is engaged in intense fighting with rebel groups.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told the media that the Indian Consulate in Mandalay is still open and continues to offer diplomatic support.

“The situation in Myanmar remains precarious and deteriorating … We have relocated our Embassy staff from Sittwe to Yangon. (Indian) Consulate in Mandalay remains functional,” Randhir Jaiswal said.

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“We are closely monitoring security situation in Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine state,” he added.

Myawaddy, a vital border town in Myanmar, has been taken over by rebel fighters, dealing a serious blow to the military regime. About 200 military men from Myanmar withdrew to a bridge close to the Thai border because anti-junta rebel groups continued to attack them.

This retreat comes after a well-planned onslaught by rebel groups, including as the Karen National Union (KNU), which took control of the Myawaddy military installation.

“This is a crucial victory for our revolution since Myawaddy is an important border town for the junta, one of the main (sources of) income from border trade,” Kyaw Zaw, a spokesperson for Myanmar’s National Unity Government, representing ousted lawmakers and anti-junta factions told the media.

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Another blow to the military-run administration, which has been confronting growing resistance since the coup in 2021, is the loss of Myawaddy. Armed resistance has spread across the country as a result of the fighting, with rebel groups making gains in a number of frontier areas. Analysts surmise that large towns around Myanmar could be among the rebel fighters’ next targets.

Thousands of civilians have crossed into Thailand to seek safety from the unrest as a result of the increasing violence.

Families with children among those seeking refuge in Thailand have been among the large number of arrivals from Myanmar that Thai officials have documented in recent days. Srettha Thavisin, the prime minister of Thailand, reaffirmed his nation’s neutrality in the conflict but gave an assurance that up to 100,000 displaced people would be accommodated.

Amidst the ongoing fighting, there has been an increase in civilian migration, as evidenced by the surge in traffic at border crossings between Thailand and Myanmar.

There are worries about possible spillover into neighboring countries, and the situation is still unstable. Relations between Myanmar and other regional partners are being constantly monitored as diplomatic efforts to address the crisis continue.