Myanmar’s civil war, India and China

As #Myanmar is increasingly getting pulled into #China’s orbit, #India, which shares a 1643 km long border with the country, formerly known as Burma, has considerable geostrategic interest in its fortunes. Beijing has been making significant inroads into Myanmar even as its military rulers in the capital Naypyidaw seem to be rapidly losing their grip over a country of some 55 million people.

One possible sign of this weakening grip is the fact that military government ministers have met Aung San Suu Kyi, the ousted State Counselor who is incarcerated on corruption charges. The military junta’s calculation seems to be to rope in Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, on their side even as the nationwide resistance led by the People’s Defense Armed Forces (PDF) is giving a tough fight to the government forces.

While the civil war raging China sees an opportunity to make its impact felt during Myanmar’s vulnerable time. To get a perspective on what is going on, Mayank Chhaya Reports spoke to the noted Indian journalist S. Venkat Narayan, who recently went on a four-day visit to the country and met a cross section of influential people, including government ministers.