The military coup in Myanmar that began in February 2021 continues to have rippling effects on the security of indiginous communities and overall stability of Southeast Asia, says Suanmuanlian Tonsing, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan School of Information, and Sangmuan Hangsing, independent researcher.

In The Wire, Tonsing and Hangsing note that “India-Myanmar relations have blossomed with the five Bs – Buddhism, business, Bollywood, Bharatnatyam, and Burma teak.” As a result, the military coup elicited a reaction from India. However, although India has denounced that violence and ruling military junta, they have not reinforced the legitimacy of the 2020 election. 

The authors argue that India’s ambiguous response to Myanmar’s coup is because of the Act East Policy (AEP). The AEP is a diplomatic strategy that includes issues like trade, defense, culture and connectivity, and economic development of the North Eastern Region of South Asia– an important geopolitical location connecting the East and West. 

“India’s current ambiguous engagement with Myanmar only disrupts the progress of AEP and the lives of the indigenous peoples in the region,” writes Hangsing and Tonsing. Beyond the human implications, they argue that India’s insensitivity towards indigenous people has consequences for trade and commerce. 

They write, “The AEP will not succeed as long as the Union government [Government of India] is insensitive to the needs of indigenous people. The AEP’s failure will, in turn, give China the upper hand against India because, over the last two decades, Chinese investment in Myanmar has increased rapidly, making Beijing the largest investor in the country and Myanmar featuring prominently in China’s trade calculus.”

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Read “Has Military Rule in Myanmar Affected India's 'Act East' Policy?” on thewire.in.

Learn more about doctoral student Suanmuanlian Tonsing.