India Must Press Myanmar Junta to Stop Bombing Kaladan Project Area

News Analysis ၊ May 30, 2026

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Myanmar regime leader Min Aung Hlaing on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin, China, on Aug. 31, 2025. (Credit: Narendra Modi)

The invitation given to Min Aung Hlaing is a risky move. The junta chief is now visiting India for five days starting May 30, 2026. India is a big power next to Myanmar, but China remains the bigger player with a dominant role in Myanmar’s politics. Since the 2021 coup, India’s security, strategic, and economic interests have been largely disrupted. This visit sends a confusing signal.

India has deep-seated interests in the Kaladan project. This project connects its mainland to the isolated northeast through the Bay of Bengal and Arakan. After five years of intense armed clashes and instability, India becomes the first foreign country to invite the junta chief since the unpopular elections of 2015–2026. This is a fact Delhi cannot ignore.

Now the real test is pressure. The Delhi government should push the junta leader not to conduct air strikes and artillery shelling against project areas. These areas include Paletwa, Kyauktaw, Ponngyaun, Pauktaw, and Sittwe townships. On its part, the Arakan Army has provided security and safety for project operations and personnel. That is a practical reality on the ground.

Kaladan Project Route (photocrd@onlinesource)

But the battlefield situation is tight. Both the Arakan Army and junta forces are now highly entrenched in Sittwe. This is an important point. It clearly shows that the junta is not the right security guarantor for India’s regional interests. Trusting them to protect the Kaladan corridor is not wise when they are locked in a fierce fight.

There is another layer. Human rights violations and war crimes in the Kaladan project areas increase insecurity. They also create a negative image for the future implementation of the project. No investment can grow in a place where bombs fall and rights are crushed. Both China and India want stability and security in Myanmar. Yet the Myanmar junta remains a barrier to it. India must see this clearly. Inviting the general is not enough. Stopping the bombing in the project area is what matters.