India and Myanmar inked 11 MoUs on Day 1 of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to the country. PM Modi’s first bilateral visit to the country came amid a spike in violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine, after a military counter-offensive against insurgents killed at least 400 people and triggered the exodus of nearly 90,000 villagers to Bangladesh since 25 August.
Modi and Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi stressed on rooting out terror in a joint press conference. Catch all the live updates on The Quint.
- PM Modi justified demonetisation during his address to the Indian diaspora at Yangon
- At a joint press conference, Modi and Aung San Suu Kyi stressed on rooting out terror, with the PM expressing concern for the Rakhine violence
- Breaking silence on the Rohingya crisis, Suu Kyi said it was unreasonable to expect Myanmar to solve the issue in 18 months
- Modi announced the release of 40 Myanmarese citizens lodged in Indian jails and grant visas for Myanmar citizens who wish to visit India
- Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said a land border crossing agreement has been negotiated between India and Myanmar
- This is the PM’s first bilateral visit to Myanmar, which is currently drawing global ire for its treatment of Rohingya Muslims
Need to Differentiate Terrorists from Innocents: Suu Kyi on Rohingya Crisis
Aung San Suu Kyi said the Rohingya crisis cannot be solved in 18 months.
It is a little unreasonable to expect us to solve the issue in 18 months. We have to decide how to differentiate terrorists from innocents. You in India would be well-versed with this. Our duty is to take care of our citizens and we will try our best. Our resources are not as complete and adequate as we would like them to be. We want to make sure that everyone is entitled to the protection of the law.Aung San Suu Kyi
Modi Ends Myanmar Visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday left for home after concluding his first bilateral visit to Myanmar during which he held wide-ranging talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and vowed to combat terror.
"My Myanmar visit covered significant ground in giving a much needed impetus to India-Myanmar relations & deepening bilateral cooperation," Modi tweeted before he left for India.
"I thank the people and Government of Myanmar for their exceptional hospitality during my visit to the beautiful nation of Myanmar," Modi said in another tweet.
Modi Pays Respect to the Founder of Modern Myanmar
Modi also paid his respects to the national heroes of Myanmar at Martyrs' Mausoleum in Yangon. Suu Kyi accompanied Modi at the Bogyoke Aung San Museum which is dedicated to General Aung San, the founder of modern Myanmar and also the father of Suu Kyi.
He also paid a visit to Yangon’s Kalibari.
PM Modi Visits Shewdagon Pagoda
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon on Day 2 of his Myanmar visit. He planted a bodhi tree sampling there to symbolise the reinforcement of the common cultural heritage between India and Myanmar.