Indo-Myanmar talks bear fruit, police-to-police interaction on cards

India and Myanmar moved towards greater cooperation on security issues with the Home Secretary-level talks resolving to strengthen existing institutional mechanisms and explore new channels of information flow for the purpose. The talks ended on Monday.

A beginning is expected to be made in the form of police- to-police interaction between northeastern states along the border and their counterparts in Myanmar. The existing arrangements are related to Army-level contacts between the two countries.

Effective control of the border continued to be a matter of concern for India, which has been calling for steps to rein in militants operating from bases in Myanmar. India shares a 1640-km border with Myanmar, mostly along Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram. With large stretches being "porous", there are frequent instances of militants operating in these states, including members of the NSCN (K) and ULFA, crossing over into Myamnar.

With a slew of infrastructure projects on, including the India-Myanmar-Thailand highway and the Kaladan multi-modal transit transport project, improving the security atmosphere in the region is a high priority, official sources said.

This view was reflected in the talks. The two countries expressed a strong desire that the border should be a "region and symbol of peace and harmony so that the benefits of various infrastructure projects and economic cooperation can be fully realised," the Home Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

The ministry described Myanmar as a "close and friendly" neighbour and maintained that the bilateral relations were reflective of the "multi- dimensional and traditional relations between the two countries".

Border trade and steps to curb narcotics smuggling of narcotics also figured in the talks. India, due to its strategic location, is a favoured transit route for narcotics destined for Europe from Southwest and Southeast Asia.

Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta led the Indian side while the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Brigadier Gen Phone Swe headed the Myanmarese delegation for the 14th annual Home Secretaries-level talks between the two countries. The last meeting was held in Myanmar last February.

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