Nirendra Dev / New Delhi
Amit Shah as India’s Home Minister played up according to his image. He spoke at length on certain mattersafter his four-day visit to Manipur and on certain issues dropped hints. He felt a ‘permanent solution to the Indo-Myanmar border issue’ and the fencing on the border between two countries will be the need of the hour.
The ongoing Kuki-Meitei conflict has been linked to narcotics and arms. The way it has blownup, it may not be just racial.
Myanmar definitely is at the heart of the ‘golden triangle’ of narcotics smuggling – two other countries being Laos and Thailand. Drug abuse and smuggling is maximum in Manipur for decades now.
As highlighted in previous instances in this newspaper, the Modi government likes a friendly and pragmatic policy towards Myanmar. Therefore, the old emotions about democracy is a thingof bygone era. India is now open to do business with whichever government is in power in Myanmar.
New Delhi depends a lot on Myanmar to deny Indian rebels their key forest bases. On the other hand,the military junta could be China-friendly, yet the Tatmadaw (military dispensation) relies on Indian supportin limiting the Arakan Army and for other welfare measures like Covid vaccines.
Notably, a large number of Myanmar citizens are in Mizoram for last two years since the 2021 coup; yetthe Government of India has not called them ‘refugees’ officially.The humanitarian assistance continues and the Mizoram government is shouldering it on its budget and limited resources — at least officially.
Last fortnight something important happened at Yangon. As diplomats celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Myanmar, at the Indian Embassy in Yangon, the functionwas also graced by General Min Aung Hlaing who heads the civilian face of the military.
These are important moves. Amt Shah’s visit to Churachandpur was also important in more ways than one.Of course he met Kuki NGOs and civil population – now under distress. But the Home Minister also spoke to security forces and every man in olive green operating in Nagaland-Myanmar stretchre member Churachandpur also for wrong reasons of 2021.
India’s the then Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla made a two day ‘working visit’ to Myanmar on Dec 22-23, 2021.Among other things, he had raised matters relating to India’s security with Myanmar military rulers especially in the light of the “incident in Churachandpur” district in southern Manipur.
The Commanding Officer of a unit of the Assam Rifles, along with his wife, eight-year old son and four other jawans were killed when their convoy came under attack from insurgents at Singhat region in Churachandpur district.So the Myanmar-matrix has a relevance in the present turmoil.
The PLA and Manipur Naga People’s Front (MNPF) had then claimed responsibility for the ambush but claimed they were not aware that Colonel Viplav Tripathi’s wife and his son were part of the convoy.
But damages were done. Nevertheless, what Amt Shah spoke about borders has their own significance.
There is a land border of 1600 kms between the two country and there is a Free Movement Regime.In 2018 both sides activated the FMR for people residing in villages near their 1,643 km-long border.In January 2018, the Union cabinet had approved it, but Myanmar forced a deferment. At one stage,India also had deferred it, fearing that it would aid the influx of persecuted Rohingyas into India. But by October 2018, it was given green signal.
Myanmar also has maritime proximity to the Andaman and Nicobar islands and there are vital projectslike the Kaladan Multi Modal Transport project. It is a a US$ 484 million project connecting the seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport. The inauguration of the Sittwe seaport on May 9th also has a special significance to the bilateral ties.
India’s Shipping and Ports minister Sarbananda Sonowal along with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport of Myanmar, Admiral Tin Aung San inaugurated Sittwe Port. It’s a deep-water port constructed by India at Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, on the Bay of Bengal and it checkmates China.
In short, both Indian authorities and those who rule in Myanmar need each other and have to understandeach other better. Now whether there is more to the ‘conspiracy’ angle to the latest Manipur trouble has to be looked into.
Thus, Shah’s announcement that a CBI probe to investigate five criminal conspiracies and one general conspiracy behind the violence in Manipur is a crucial angle to the emerging development.