Participants in the India for Myanmar Movement published an open letter to the organisers of the 5th BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit in Sri Lanka, urging them not to invite coup leader Min Aung Hlaing to the summit.

“There are only two places in the world where Min Aung Hlaing is accepted on behalf of the country. That's the ICJ and BIMSTEC. Let them go to the ICJ,” an India for Myanmar activist told Mizzima. “We want Burmese people in foreign countries to request BIMSTEC member embassies not to invite the junta to BIMSTEC.”

The open letter says that if Min Aung Hlaing is invited to the meeting, which begins on 30 March, BIMSTEC member states will face strong opposition from various pro-democracy and human rights organizations and activists around the world.

A participant in the India for Myanmar Movement said that they had sent copies of the open letter to the Embassy of Sri Lanka, the Embassy of Nepal and the Office of the Prime Minister of India on 24 February and would send copies of the open letter to the other BIMSTEC member embassies on 25 February.

He also said that all relations with the Myanmar military regime, which has been accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, must come to an end immediately.

The open letter from the India for Myanmar Movement says that BIMSTEC has to respect the Myanmar democracy movement and accede to the demands of the Spring Revolution.

The fourth biennial BIMSTEC conference was held in Nepal and was attended by President Win Myint of Myanmar.

The next BIMSTEC meeting will be held on March 30 in Sri Lanka and member countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand will attend.

India for Myanmar is an Indian-based civil society organization in which South Asian experts, activists, and human rights and democracy organisations are involved.