New Delhi tastes the salad of AFSPA, Chinese fish tails, Myanmar's Nationwide ceasefire and NE insurgency
(Contd from last Saturday issue)
Every effort should be made to avoid making their homes and paddy fields the targets of bombs and missiles.
The conflict situation in Myanmar, presence of Northeast insurgents in Northwest Myanmar and its long border with China's Yunnan Province are good reasons for New Delhi to strengthen security measures along this section of the international border. The Indian intelligence agencies have busy time trying to trace the gun trails across the sensitive border areas.
The northeast region has no ammunition factories and New Delhi always remembers China as the major source, if not the only source of these sophisticated arms and gadgets. Beijing is silent on this and has little word to say on this matter. The world has enough guns and bombs to feed every conflict anywhere in the world. Drug, flesh trade and arms trafficking are said to be the most profitable businesses on earth. Who do not want to become rich in the world? Any covert activity of Beijing (if any) in the region to support the insurgents in Northeast is a good reason for New Delhi to close the international border or to discourage large-scale activities such as meaningful trade and people-to-people contacts across the Indo-Myanmar border. In fact, keeping the Northeast as war zones serves the purposes of many stakeholders including the Indian military.
The mistrust between the two neighbours goes beyond the boundary issues. Sugar-coated diplomatic words cannot cover up the health of the bilateral relationship. In fact, the 'China factor' has denied the geographical advantage enjoyed by Northeast to engage in multi-national trade and the people are forced to live with low per capita income. Will the changes in Myanmar bring good news to Northeast? Is the Chinese Dragon already in Myanmar?
On 7 April 2015, Myanmar President Thein Sein visited tea farms and rubber plantations in the Homalin Township in Sagaing Region. His team also visited Hkamti/Khamti Township to discuss development works in that isolated region. These townships having Naga tribes were not included in the Naga Self-Administered Zone created under the 2008 Myanmar Constitution. A move to expand the zone to include the two townships was resisted by other ethnic groups.
The thickly forested Sagaing Region bordering Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh is a major concern for India's security agencies in their endeavours to control Northeast insurgency. SS Khaplang's changed attitude toward New Delhi and Myanmar's focus on China-Myanmar and Myanmar-Thailand border areas will keep bullets and bombs in action mode in Northeast. Will New Delhi travel to Naga Self-Administered Zone in Sagaing for development projects?
For a lasting peace and stability in Myanmar, the Myanmar Government and representatives of 16 armed organisations that constitutes the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Committee (NCCT) signed a historic draft Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on 31 March 2015 to push forward the peace process. It was lauded as a 'historic and significant achievement' by the United Nations Special Adviser for Myanmar, Vijay Nambiar.
Interestingly, China's Special Envoy for Asian Affairs, Wang Yingfan also attended the ceasefire agreement signing ceremony. Like New Delhi, Beijing has strong interests in the peace process to restore stability along the China-Myanmar border. Both India and China are keenly following the developments in Myanmar to secure their borders and push the nation-building works. The world has to see how New Delhi, Nay Pyi Taw and Beijing deal will the borderland ethnic groups. They could become the preys on the frying pan of international diplomacy, economic relations and geo-political interests of China, the US, Japan, India and Myanmar. Some will say the ethnic minorities are already on the pan.
(Concluded)
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/new-delhi-tastes-the-salad-of-afspa-chinese-fish-tails-myanmars-nationwide/
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