India welcomes ASEAN's appointment of Brunei diplomat as envoy to Myanmar

India lauded the appointment of Brunei's second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof as a special envoy to Myanmar by the ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Indian diplomats confirmed that they will continue to support Burma in their struggle to restore the democratic process.

TS Tirumurti, India's Ambassador to the UN said in a tweet on Friday, "India welcomes the appointment of Erywan Yusof, Second Minister of Foreign Affairs, Brunei Darussalam as Special Envoy of ASEAN Chair on Myanmar. As Myanmar's close neighbour, India will continue to support the restoration of the democratic process in Myanmar: Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi."

On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military operated a military coup and overthrew the civilian government. The military then declared a year-long state of emergency as the coup triggered mass protests across the country. The military replied with deadly violence to suppress the protests in the country. Earlier this week on Sunday, Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing declared himself Prime Minister of the country. He said that he will remain in charge for the duration of two years during a period of an extended state of emergency. The country hopes to have a democratic election in 2023. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, since February 1, at least 945 people have been assassinated by the military.

Why did the military take control of Myanmar and where is Ms. Suu Kyi?

The military seized control of the country after Ms. Suu Kyi's NLD party won the general assembly elections by a landslide. The armed forces were against her party and supported the opposition party. The opposition party demanded another vote as they claimed widespread fraud in changing the results of the elections.

The Election Commission of Myanmar looked into the complaints but said that there was no evidence to proceed with any legal action. This is when the military decided to plan a coup and successfully executed the operation as a new session of parliament was set to open. Ever since the coup, Ms. Suu Kyi has been held hostage at an unknown location. She was also charged with various charges like violating the country's official secrets act, possessing illegal technology like walkie-talkies and spreading misinformation for the purpose of causing fear or raising an alarm. The leaders of NLD escaped the arrest formed a new group while being in hiding. Their leader has asked the protesters to defend their lives first.

(With ANI inputs)