Attaching importance, India Myanmar vow to ensure no insurgent groups operate in Indo-Myanmar border

New Delhi, November 4: Abiding to his vow on zero tolerance towards terrorism and illegal activities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on meeting Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi informed that India attaches cooperation in ensuring that insurgent groups do not find space to operate across the India-Myanmar border. He also conveyed about India’s readiness to expand its socio-economic projects in the country's Rakhine state, months after New Delhi implemented a housing project in the restive province.

 

PM Narendra Modi made the proposal during a meeting with Suu Kyi on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit on Sunday. Accepting the proposal, both leaders agreed that stable and peaceful border was an important anchor for the continued expansion of bilateral partnership. It further pointed on Prime Minister Modi’s emphasis on the value that India attaches to Myanmar's cooperation in ensuring that insurgent groups do not find space to operate across the India-Myanmar border.

Apparently, Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640-km-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur. According to security agencies, there were over 50 camps of insurgent groups from the north-east in Myanmar till last year. The armies of India and Myanmar carried out a three-week-long coordinated operation from May 16 in their respective border areas, targeting several militant groups operating in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam.

The Defence officers said that during the "Operation Sunrise 2" in May, the armies coordinated with each other to bust camps of militant outfits, including the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), the NSCN (Khaplang), the United Liberation Front of Assam (I) and the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB).

The Ministry of External Affairs stated that in the talks, PM Modi also emphasised that the speedy, safe and sustainable return of the displaced people from Bangladesh to their homes in the Rakhine State was in the interests of the region, the displaced persons, and all three neighbouring countries -- India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

An estimated 7,00,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's Rakhine State since 2017 after large-scale violence following a military crackdown. The exodus of refugees in large numbers has resulted in a major crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh. In July, India handed over to Myanmar government 250 prefabricated houses, it built in the Rakhine State in an effort to encourage the Rohingya Muslims to return to their homeland.

The MEA said the prime minister expressed India's readiness to carry out more socio-economic projects in the Rakhine State. According to the MEA, Suu Kyi reaffirmed the importance her government attaches to the partnership with India, and her appreciation of India's consistent and sustained support for the widening of democracy and deepening of development in Myanmar.