India’s Myanmar Dilemma – Junta Chief Turned President’s Maiden Visit Raise Doubts on Democratic Credentials

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“We are deeply pained to see the mother of democracy welcome the 21st century’s worst dictator.” – This statement from an organizer of the foiled protest by Myanmar refugees in New Delhi against visiting President U Min Aung Hlaing sums up the crux of India’s reach out to its eastern neighbour’s new ruler¹. That Mr. Hlaing chose India for his maiden foreign trip since being sworn in, at the personal invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is seen as New Delhi’s de jure recognition of the strongman’s political status despite overseeing a controversial military campaign that, as per UN reports, caused over 7,700 civilian casualties^{2 3}. However, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has bluntly underlined the reality that motivated New Delhi’s embrace of a leader who was responsible for deposing the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. It triggered a brutal civil war from which Myanmar is yet to recover. “History has shown that disengagement does not give us any results that are better than engagement, and it certainly does not produce democratic change if that is what we are interested in,” Misri said, adding “on the other hand, disengagement only produces a vacuum that others go on to fill then to our detriment. And those others have no interest in democracy”⁴. No wonder, New Delhi’s mollycoddling of Mr. Hlaing has irked Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG), run by representatives of political parties and lawmakers elected in the 2020 general election. “We are deeply concerned about the reports of terrorist junta leader Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to India, news that causes great worry and anxiety to the people of Myanmar” – an infuriated NUG Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung wrote to his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar⁵.

By hosting Mr. Hlaing, did India tarnish its own historical legacy, rooted in championing democratic inclusion, social justice and human rights? Just a cursory statement of concern on Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi’s incarceration, converted to house arrest, is tragic given the widespread disquiet over her well-being.

India has maintained a steady relationship with Naypyidaw ever since Tatmadaw’s coup toppled the democratically elected government of Suu Kyi, which brought an end to decades of military-backed rule in Myanmar in the winter of 2015. When the democratic West and parts of Asia boycotted Mr. Hlaing’s swearing-in ceremony last April, in protest against the sham election, India legitimized the electoral outcome by sending the Deputy Foreign Minister⁶. Therefore, a clear signal emanated that the world’s largest democracy is keen to collaborate with the new regime in the days ahead. The bilateral talks in New Delhi focused on areas of trade, connectivity, border security and defence. Mr. Hlaing was accompanied by a business delegation of military-friendly tycoons⁷. The delegates included Aung Ko Win of KBZ Group, Aung Aung Zaw of Myanmar Airways International, Zaw Win Shein of Ayeyar Hinthar Group and the President of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Aye Win. Apart from deepening cooperation in critical minerals and rare earths, Myanmar sought Indian investment in Energy, Information Technology and Manufacturing Sector, including Chemical and Industrial, Automobile – especially electric vehicles, Cement, Steel, Agro-based, Pharmaceuticals as well as Medical Technology⁸. The regime chief assured Indian business leaders that they had “no reason to worry about any political problems.” This is significant because of the en masse flight of foreign investors from Myanmar following the military takeover in 2021.

By hosting Mr. Hlaing, did India tarnish its own historical legacy, rooted in championing democratic inclusion, social justice and human rights? Just a cursory statement of concern on Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi’s incarceration, converted to house arrest, is tragic given the widespread disquiet over her well-being⁹. No doubt, Suu Kyi’s continued relevance to democratic movements around the world will remain etched in the history of democracy forever. Despite her close relation with different layers of the Indian society, because of academic root in New Delhi, the laid-back attitude of the diplomatic establishment got reflected in Misri’s unambiguous assertion – “I should underline that our engagement with Myanmar is not intended to be a commentary on the internal political arrangement in that country.” 

Incidentally, India had supported ASEAN’s (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Five-Point peace plan adopted in April 2021. But when it faltered owing to junta recalcitrance, New Delhi had a golden opportunity to offer its good office. Initiating a peace mission was not that difficult, as India’s ability to influence the Tatmadaw, democratic parties and the ethnic resistance groups is irrefutable. But sadly, the country has never been known for bold and aggressive diplomacy when it comes to protecting democracy and human rights¹⁰. In Myanmar, the precedent of such dilly-dallying dates back to the 1960s when statesman U Nu was left to fend for himself in spite of being a great friend of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Consequently, U Nu was deposed by the military led by General Ne Win, and India’s alibi for non-intervention was the same domestic insurgency in its peripheral Northeastern theatre.

Seema Sengupta is a Kolkata-based journalist and columnist.

Citations:

1. https://thewire.in/diplomacy/pained-to-see-mother-of-democracy-host-centurys-worst-dictator-myanmar-refugees-in-india ↩︎
2. https://www.npr.org/2026/05/30/nx-s1-5838637/myanmar-hlaing-india-tour ↩︎
3. https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/02/assistant-secretary-general-brands-kehris-myanmar-human-rights-and ↩︎
4. https://thewire.in/diplomacy/india-must-engage-myanmar-lest-vacuum-formed-filled-our-detriment-foreign-secy ↩︎
5. https://newdaymyanmar.com/myanmars-nug-sends-objection-letter-to-indian-government-over-min-aung-hlaings-visit/ ↩︎
6. https://theprint-in.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/theprint.in/india/union-minister-kirti-vardhan-singh-to-represent-india-at-inauguration-of-myanmars-new-president/2897979/?amp=&amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=
   From&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Ftheprint.in%2Findia%2Funion-minister-kirti-vardhan-singh-to-represent-india-at-inauguration-of-myanmars-new-president%2F2897979%2F ↩︎
7. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmars-crisis-the-world/whos-who-of-myanmar-cronies-joins-min-aung-hlaing-on-india-trip.html
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8. https://www.gnlm.com.mm/myanmar-invites-indian-investment-across-key-sectors/ ↩︎
9. https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/southeast-asia/myanmar-aung-sang-suu-kyi-proof-of-life-birthday-b2987119.html ↩︎
10. https://idsa.in/publisher/book-review/stability-or-democracy ↩︎