NAYPYITAW, 15 July 2021, (TON): Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said on June 1, four months after Myanmar’s military coup, that the country’s “regional neighbours have the levers in their hands to change the trajectory of this crisis.”

This statement provides a reasonable sense of actions to follow, especially when it comes to calling out Myanmar’s big neighbours when and if they enter into deals with the military junta, which seized power on February 1.

Among other neighbours like China and Thailand, India has come under the radar of Myanmar anti-coup activists who are opposed to the idea of any relationship between the Indian government and the junta and its generals. In the midst of a fight to restore democracy, these activists have been critical of other countries, particularly neighbouring democratic establishments, for not severing their ties with the coup regime.

India’s investments in Myanmar have been mostly focused on infrastructure development seen by New Delhi as “people-friendly projects,” yet Indian military ties with the Tatmadaw have also grown in recent years, although not as significantly as China, which has had huge investments in oil, gas, mining, and in the sale of military equipment and hardware.