Bibhu Prasad Routray
IPCS Article No. 3788, 10 January 2013
Nowhere
in the media, apart from those circulating in India 's
Northeast, do the periodic military operations carried out by Myanmar
against Indian insurgents receive frontline coverage. The fascination of the
region with Myanmar 's
military endeavours is obvious, for bases in Myanmar
remain one of the crucial factors for survival of insurgency in the region. It
is largely opined that, but for the insurgency, the Northeast region's economic
integration with Myanmar
would have been complete. How true is that assessment? The commentary examines
the future prospects of the economic integration between India 's
Northeast and Myanmar .
India-Myanmar
Security Cooperation
In
the last week of 2012, India
and Myanmar
reached an agreement to open the fourth Border Liaison Office (BLO) in the
Nagaland sector. Three BLOs are already in operation in the Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur
and Mizoram sectors. BLOs have served as mechanisms to promote cooperation
between the law enforcement agencies of both countries. The BLO forum has been
a product of a high-level meeting between the two countries in May 2012. Officers
posted at the BLOs discuss and sort out issues relating to local security and
crime, to strengthen bilateral cooperation on border issues.
Perceptibly,
New Delhi has followed a different
approach to the Indo-Myanmar border. While fencing dominates its strategy along
the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders, security along the Indo-Myanmar
border is sought to be protected by establishing a cooperation mechanism
between the border guarding forces. Since January 2012, both sides have
attempted to maintain close interaction between the nodal points, as well as
the commanding officers of the two countries’ respective border guarding forces
for sharing intelligence in real-time. Another mechanism through which Myanmar
has started sharing, albeit sporadically, the interrogation reports of arms
smugglers arrested by Myanmar security forces has also been established.
From
Border Cooperation to Better Connectivity
The
impact of these measures will be seen in the coming months. However, such
strides to establish a security regime will continue to be thwarted by the
prevalence of a sub-optimal connectivity regime.
In
several official documents, the importance of connectivity is a well-recognised
factor. The 12th Five Year plan for example, like many preceding plan documents,
identified connectivity- both between the States and with Myanmar
and Bangladesh-
as crucial to the Northeast.
With
specific reference to the road building projects with Myanmar ,
the draft document indicates, "We are working on a multi-modal connection
through Ashuganj in Bangladesh
to Tripura and the Sithwe–Kaladan River Project to Lunglei in Mizoram. We need
to energise the re-conditioning and re-connections of the other road networks
through Moreh (Manipur) and Ledo (Assam )
to Myanmar . This
can then further link up to Thailand
and to the road network system in Southeast Asia ."
Promises
and Performance
While
the plan document underlines New Delhi 's
future priorities, India ’s
past performance in completing infrastructure projects in Myanmar
has remained lacklustre. The sole project completed is the 160km cross-border
project of the Moreh-Kalewa Road
into Chin State Myanmar ’s
western border. This was completed way back in 2001. Ambitious projects such as
the Kaladan multi-modal highway and the Sittwe port development to improve land/water
communication links still remain incomplete years after their conception and
planning.
Similarly,
road networks within the Northeast remain another problem area. The draft 12th
plan document notes, "Enhanced connectivity of the Northeast should be a
high priority." However, according to official data, achievements have
fallen significantly below the modest targets. During the last six years (2006-2012)
for instance, under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in the
Northeast (SARDP-NE), an 892km road was constructed by various agencies. The
original target was 1283km; however, delays in land acquisition, shifting of
utilities and forest clearances were identified as hindrances to the completion
of the project.
Overcoming
Internal Problems
In
spite of the popular focus on insurgency and the role of insurgents as spoilers,
a scan through newspapers in recent times indicates that even community-based
organisations within the Northeast have posed a great roadblock in the idea of
free traffic movement on roads connecting the region to Myanmar .
Whereas the regular blockades imposed by the influential Naga organisations to
cut off Manipur from the rest of India
are rather well known, comparatively miniscule tribal bodies too have
demonstrated such disruptive abilities. In December 2012, the ASEAN-India car
rally faced blockades imposed by Manipur's Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC), which
demands a separate Kuki state. It required Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh's
personal intervention to avoid the rally participants getting stuck on National
Highway No.2 after entering India
through the border town of Moreh .
Reforms
presently underway in Myanmar
have opened up enormous economic opportunities for several countries. It is now
up to New Delhi to prioritise the
implementation of identified projects, so that the goal of economically
integrating its Northeast with Myanmar
does not simply remain a pipedream.
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