Rights watchdog urges India to stop Myanmar from violating neighboring airspaces

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – An international rights watchdog on Thursday called on India to prevent Myanmar-junta fighter jets from accessing Indian airspace violating international law.

“On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Myanmar junta air force dropped bombs on both sides of the Myanmar-India border, killing five ethnic-Chin opposition soldiers and destroying civilian structures,” Fortify Rights said in a statement, urging India to take measures to protect ethnic-Chin and Indian civilians in border areas.

The bombing reportedly destroyed civilian houses and a health facility located inside Camp Victoria, the headquarters of the Chin National Front (CNF), an ethnic resistance organization located in Myanmar’s Chin state, bordering India’s Mizoram state.

“India should be aware of the junta’s habit of violating its neighbors’ airspaces and terrorizing civilian populations and take action accordingly,” the statement said, quoting Matthew Smith, chief executive officer of Fortify Rights.

The junta forces also reportedly dropped two bombs on the Indian side of the border, near Farkawn village in Mizoram state’s Champhai district, where thousands of ethnic Chin refugees have sought protection though no one was reportedly injured, according to the statement.

Underlining the recent incursions by the Myanmar junta air force into the sovereign air space of both Thailand and Bangladesh, the statement added the Myanmar junta is a threat to both Myanmar people and civilian populations of neighboring states.

“India must not allow the junta to continue destabilizing the region by using Indian airspace in its attacks and should support efforts to hold the junta accountable for its crimes,” Smith added.

According to the statement, the Myanmar military’s systematic attack against the civilian population has forced tens of thousands from Chin state in Myanmar to flee to Mizoram state in India.

“As of July 2022, Mizoram state continues to host more than 30,000 Chin refugees,” the statement recorded, saying that the Myanmar junta’s nationwide attacks on civilian populations amount to serious violations of international law and should be addressed by the United Nations Security Council.

On Dec. 21, 2022, the UN Security Council adopted a historic resolution, denouncing human rights violations by the Myanmar military since the Feb. 1, 2021 coup d’état and it was the first Security Council resolution on Myanmar since the country became independent in 1948.

“The Security Council should invoke its authority and pass a resolution to issue a global arms embargo against the Myanmar junta and refer the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC),” said the statement.

The Fortify Rights also urged the Indian administration to authorize cross-border humanitarian aid for internally displaced persons in Myanmar, and “deprive the Myanmar military junta of weapons, dual-use technology, revenue, and political recognition.”