Why India refused to join declaration against Myanmar

In a show of solidarity with Myanmar, India on Thursday refused to be part of a declaration adopted at an international conference in Indonesia.

The reason, as a news report suggests, was that it carried “inappropriate” reference to violence in Rakhine state from where 125,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh.

Also read: Malaysia ready to provide temporary shelter for Rohingya fleeing violence

According to the Times of India report, an Indian parliamentary delegation, led by Speaker Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan, dissociated itself from the ‘Bali Declaration’ adopted at the ‘World Parliamentary Forum on Sustainable Development’ held here in Indonesia.

“This was in view of the fact that the declaration, which was to be adopted at the conclusion of the Forum, was not in line with the agreed global principles of ‘sustainable development’,” a press release issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat of the Indian Parliament said.

Cross-purposes

India reiterated its stance that the purpose of convening the Parliamentary forum was to arrive at mutual consensus for implementation of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) which requires inclusive and broad-based development processes, it said.

Also read: Is the UN failing Rohingyas?

“Therefore, the proposed reference to the violence in Rakhine state in the declaration was considered as not consensus-based and inappropriate,” the release said.

The Indian delegation took the position on a day the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his visit to Myanmar where he expressed solidarity with the government there against the “extremist violence” in the Rakhine state.