New Delhi: Myanmar media group Mizzima has published an open letter on its website with an appeal to the Indian government to not support the coming election in the military junta-ruled nation.“All the political, military, and social calamities currently facing Myanmar are consequences stemming from the illegal power grab by the Myanmar military junta,” the letter says.The letter, signed by 90 civil and resistance organisations and 29 individuals, of which 24 have preferred to remain anonymous, was published on December 14.It briefly highlights the role the Tatmadaw, the military junta, has played in Myanmar since 2000, pointing out that it refused to recognise the result of the 1990 election, violated the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), did not comply with the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus, and ignored appeals – including from Indian diplomats – to refrain from violence.Also read: How ASEAN’s Failed ‘Five-Point Consensus’ Has Let Down the People of MyanmarThe NCA was signed in March 2015 between the Myanmar government and originally eight ethnic armed organisations demanding autonomy, self-determination and a genuinely federal union in the country. The agreement disintegrated after Tatmadaw pursued military attacks on seizing power in February 2021.The military also rejected the result of the election held the previous year.The ASEAN Consensus refers to a post-coup agreement signed in Jakarta in April 2021 whose terms include the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, dialogue instead of armed conflict to resolve issues, a special envoy – a one-year assignment, usually of a foreign minister of the country chairing ASEAN – to mediate the transition to peace, humanitarian assistance from ASEAN nations for Myanmar, and ASEAN’s envoy to be allowed to mediate through visits to the country. The process laid out in the 5PC, as the consensus is known, has failed to deliver any result so far.“The root cause of political instability in Myanmar across generations lies solely with authoritarian-minded Myanmar military leaders, who are the historical culprits,” the letter says.It says the Spring Revolution – the resistance led by armed ethnic groups sparked by the coup d’etat in 2021 – ongoing in Myanmar is “not merely a political conflict but a systemic revolution aimed at uprooting an entire evil system”.The election scheduled to be held in three phases over December and January 2025, is a “sham”, the signatories to the letter say in their appeal. Referring to non-alignment, they say that the situation in Myanmar warrants a different response than India’s historical policy. The signatories say:“We respect India’s non-aligned foreign policy. However, the current crisis in Myanmar is a struggle between righteousness and unrighteousness, between the entire populace and a minority of military dictators. Therefore, we believe approaching this issue solely with a policy of non-alignment is inappropriate.”The letter also recognises the “socio-economic burden” of the conflict in Myanmar on India, which share a 1,000-kilometre border to India’s north east. There has been an influx of “war refugees”, the letter points out, and adds:More severely, due to market expansion efforts by the Myanmar military junta and its affiliates, drug trafficking and illegal trade along the border have skyrocketed. We note with regret that this situation poses a major threat to India’s social and economic security.The signatories appeal that India refrain from recognising the “illegitimate election”, which they also characterise as “the military junta’s political exit strategy” being held in Myanmar, avoid sending delegations to observe the process, and to provide “only practical and constructive assistance” that will help achieve political stability and restore democracy in Myanmar.The letter also refers to the limited scope of the election, whose dates are December 28, 2025 and January 11 and 16 in 2026.In the run-up to the often-delayed election process, the junta tightened electoral norms, disqualifying parties and candidates, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and notably abandoning the first-past-the-post system for proportional representation. The letter-writers reference to the “political exit strategy” is a nod to the Union Solidarity and Democratic Party (USDP), a military proxy expected to perform well in the elections.India has, in the recent past, stepped up its engagement with Myanmar, including visits by delegations, events aimed at diaspora groups and other exchanges, including on policing the border and closing down ‘scam centres’. Issues like arms smuggling across the border have also reportedly featured in discussions.A foreign affairs ministry spokesperson stated earlier this month that India backs “free, fair and inclusive” elections in Myanmar. On the humanitarian situation in Myanmar, the MEA spokesperson also said:“We have warm ties with Myanmar. When the last earthquake happened, we were one of the first responders. We sent in a large team to provide relief, including medical support, and set up a temporary hospital. Subsequent to that, we continue to offer whatever help that we can so that people’s lives can come back to normal. Our development cooperation assistance with Myanmar is an important part of our collaboration…”As The Wire earlier reported, soon after the coup d’etat in which it took control over Myanmar, Tatmadaw established the State Administration Council, or SAC, under Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and promised elections under the 2008 constitution. It also appointed the Union Election Commission and announced the election schedule, thus signalling that the process will remain tightly controlled and held under military oversight, inviting criticism from human rights groups.The growing ties between the two nations has been noted, often with concern, including by Myanmar-based media outlets.The general has been an official visitor to India, and signed a memorandum of understanding, during one such visit in 2019, on defence cooperation. He met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjen on August 31, 2025.The open letter posted by Mizzima refers to the ties between both countries, saying, “We are deeply concerned about the nature of relations developed between the Myanmar military junta and the Indian government over the past five years,” appealing that, India’s approach should instead consider “the interests of the Myanmar and India[‘s] people, the responsibility of being a historically good neighbour, and the long-term interests of both nations”.The elections are to be held in numerous areas where active fighting is on between the Tatmadaw and the ethnic resistance groups. Recently, ASEAN nations reportedly declined to send observers (or monitors) to witness the Myanmar election, a demand from the letter writers to the Indian government as well.