India works to end Myanmar's isolation-India-The Times of India

India works to end Myanmar's isolation-India-The Times of India

Indian officials worked with the mandarins in Naypyidaw to deliver home the simple message — Myanmar needed the international aid and its refusal could end up creating a bigger human tragedy, and more importantly, it could have political consequences that the generals would not care for at all. It wasn’t easy — this is the closest to a hermetically sealed N Korea — and these decades of isolation haven’t helped.

India even offered to ferry the international aid to Myanmar from other countries if it made them feel more comfortable. Over many discussions and conversations, the Myanmar government relented.

Through the discussions India worked quietly, careful not to upset the sensitivities of the generals, believing that quiet diplomacy would be more effective.