India-Myanmar Border Issues

Context: As conflict intensifies between armed resistance groups and the Myanmar military in the Chin, Shan and Sagaing provinces, India reminded Myanmar to return to the path of federal democracy.

• Myanmar’s military has been battling armed insurgents who have forced it out of several townships over the past few weeks.
• The Indian side reiterated its support to Myanmar for a transition towards a federal democracy.
• The Indian side said it continued to support people-centric socio-economic developmental projects, including connectivity projects and projects under the Rakhine State Development Programme and Border Area Development Programme for the benefit of the people of Myanmar.
• There has been issues that India has faced after the military coup that took place in Myanmar post the elections of 2020.
• Due to intense fighting, thousands of Myanmar’s nationals including former military personnel recently sought refuge in India creating issues related to security situation, border management and transnational crimes.

Implications of Myanmar’s Military Coup

• Border security: Refugees fleeing military crackdown are entering Mizoram. This has led to disagreement between centre & Mizoram which supports refugees. Centre’s instruction of sealing border with Myanmar has irked ethnically and culturally connected communities on both sides. Ex – Chin community. 
• Strategic concern: India cannot upset the Myanmar junta by providing refuge to the officials fleeing military crackdown.
• Containing China: Myanmar being crucial in containing China, India will have to take a calculated steps to not push Myanmar closer to China. 
• Insurgency: Several ethnic armed organisations are active within Myanmar. Being opposed to Junta, EAOs can lead to escalation in violence across the border. 
• Indian Investments: Instability would threaten India’s investments in Myanmar. Ex. Kaladan Project, Sittwe port, IMT trilateral Highway, Special economic zone in Rakhine. 
• Opportunity to reduce influence of China: Myanmar army has enjoyed a relatively strong relationship with India. It played a key role in handling the insurgency and Hot Pursuits of India. Su Kyi led democratic government was closer to China. China supported it on Rohingya crisis. 
• Drug trafficking: Drug production has shot up exponentially in Shan Province of Myanmar. The region was earlier large producers of heroine. However, currently it is world’s largest producer & exporter of meth (more potent & profitable). Most key individuals controlling the drug trade are pro-junta businessman as well as ethnic militia. 

Characteristics of India – Myanmar Border 

Lack of clear demarcation boundary 

• Formally delimited and demarcated following the boundary agreement on March 10, 1967, the boundary has not crystallised on the ground as lines separating two sovereign countries. 
• Boundary is also superimposed on the socio-cultural landscape of the borderland, dividing several tribes, and forcing them to reside as citizens of different countries. 
• These tribes refuse to accept the artificial line and continue to maintain strong cross-border ethnic linkages. 
• Such linkages are often exploited by the insurgents to find shelter across the border among their own kinsmen who are sympathetic towards their cause’.

Free movement regime 

• The FMR permits the tribes residing along the border to travel 16-km across the boundary without visa restrictions. 
• While the FMR has helped the tribes continue maintain their age-old ties, it has also become a cause of concern for the security establishment as its provisions are exploited by the Indian insurgents to cross over to Myanmar unrestricted and establish safe havens.  
• Another provision in the FMR, which allows tribal people to carry headload has also been misused to smuggle in drugs, weapons, and other contraband.

Terrain of the Border 

• High mountains, deep river channels together with lush forest characterise the borderland.
• Absence of roads, communication links and other border guarding infrastructure also adversely affect policing as they hamper the easy and rapid movement of the border guarding forces along the border

Challenges along India – Myanmar Border 

1. Cross-border insurgency: Insurgent groups from Manipur and Nagaland have set up bases in Myanmar and operating across the border to fuel secessionist movements.  Eg: NSCN(K) has its base in Myanmar.
2. Arms smuggling: Porous border is used to smuggle arms and ammunition sourced from Thailand to fuel its activities in India.
3. Drug Trafficking: Proximity to ‘Golden Triangle’ - global hub of drug trafficking makes. It has resulted in drug abuse in the border states, particularly Mizoram which has also seen a rise in HIV incidence. 
4. Gold smuggling: 25% of all the gold smuggled in India comes form here this region. 

Way forward

• Strengthen Assam Rifles with adequate manpower and equipment. 
• At the same time, through sustained community interaction programmes, the border community should be sensitised to participate in the nation building project. 
• Cooperation with neighbours. 
• For such cooperation to materialise, political and diplomatic initiatives requires to be carefully crafted. 

Rakhine State Development Programme

• India signed a development programme for Rakhine State in Myanmar in late 2017 which was designed to assist the Myanmar government in Rakhine State to build housing infrastructure for displaced persons.
• India launched this program as more than 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims fled from Myanmar’s Rakhine state to neighbouring Bangladesh since August 2017, triggering a massive refugee crisis.
• The focus of RSDP has been on sustainable solutions based on creative socio-economic development under which India has delivered more than 250 pre-fabricated houses in three villages of Rakhine villages