(Bloomberg) -- India's government called for the release of political prisoners and restoration of democracy in Myanmar amid an escalating humanitarian crisis in the wake of a coup last month.
New Delhi supports any attempts to resolve the current situation including through the efforts of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said on Friday. India is dealing with people crossing over the border from Myanmar as per local laws and on humanitarian grounds, he said.
Hundreds of protesters, including children, have been killed in violent clashes with the military since the coup. The situation sparked global condemnation, with the U.S. suspending trade engagement with Southeast Asia's poorest nation, while the U.K. announced sanctions targeting military-linked conglomerate Myanmar Economic Corp.
Read: Ousted Myanmar Parliament Plans National Unity Government
Bagchi said an Indian embassy diplomat, who attended an Armed Forces Day function on a day when protesters were gunned down, was simply discharging regular duties.
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