Myanmar policemen seeking refuge detained in India: Report

Indian authorities on Thursday detained three Burmese policemen, who crossed into India seeking refuge. According to the Associated Press, the three Burmese policemen were found near Lungkawlh village in India's northeastern state of Mizoram, which shares a border with Myanmar. The three policemen had no weapons and were found in civilian clothes. The incident comes a month after the military junta overthrew the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. 

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The three detained Burmese police officers reportedly told the Indian authorities that they were being chased by the military after they allegedly refused to follow orders. It is not known exactly what orders they refused to follow. India shares over a 1,500-kilometer-long border with Myanmar and people from both sides often try to cross the border to seek safe haven. In India's case, it is mostly the militants from northeastern states of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, etc who try and flee to Myanmar. 

“The three policemen said they ran from the country because the Myanmar army was on their trail after they refused to obey some orders,” the police officer said.

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India is home to many Burmese refugees, including the persecuted Rohingyas. In the past month, many pro-democracy supporters from Myanmar have tried to enter India seeking refuge, but they have mostly failed because of tight Burmese security since the coup. 

Read: Myanmar Protesters, Undaunted By Killings, March Again

Myanmar protests

Myanmar is witnessing one of its largest protests of the decade with people pouring on the streets in large numbers to oppose the last month's military coup. On Wednesday, at least 33 people lost their lives across the country as police tried to disperse crowds from protest sites. Burmese people started protesting against the military coup days after the junta overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's government. The protests were largely peaceful for the first couple of weeks before the military started using violent measures to clampdown on demonstrators. 

The international community, including the United Nations, was quick to condemn the violent measures used by the Myanmar military to suppress protests. The United States and its allies issued a joint statement asking the junta to respect peoples' right to peacefully demonstrate. Facebook suspended accounts linked to the military, who were regularly using the platform to issue threats and warnings. 

Read: Burial Of Protester Killed By Myanmar Security Forces

(Image Credit: AP)