India may swap land with Myanmar to demarcate border: Here's all we know

India and Myanmar are reportedly discussing a possible land exchange to settle an undemarcated stretch of their border along Manipur, a move aimed at completing demarcation

India and Myanmar are reportedly exploring a possible territorial exchange to resolve a decades-old undemarcated stretch of their shared border along Manipur.

 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) acknowledged that discussions are underway to settle unresolved sections of the boundary. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "There are certain areas on the border which are yet to be settled. Discussions on those sectors are ongoing between the two sides."

 

His remarks came weeks after US-based magazine The Diplomat reported that New Delhi was actively considering such a proposal.

 

What is the proposed territorial exchange?

 

In a July 17 report, The Diplomat said the Indian government was examining a proposal to complete the demarcation of the boundary between border pillars 65 and 68 along Manipur's border with Myanmar by exchanging around 1.4 square miles of territory. The stretch between these boundary pillars is approximately 2.8 km long.

 

 

The proposed area lies in Manipur's Chandel district, adjoining Myanmar's Kabaw Valley in the Sagaing Region. According to a government document cited by The Diplomat, dated May 26, 2026, the demarcation exercise was expected to be completed within three months, suggesting the process could conclude around August.

 

India and Myanmar share a 1,643-km international boundary that passes through Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram before entering Myanmar's Sagaing Region and Chin State. Much of the frontier is mountainous, forested and porous, cutting across ethnic communities that have historically lived on both sides.

 

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, around 1,472 km of the border has already been demarcated through boundary pillars, while nearly 171 km remains unresolved, mainly in Arunachal Pradesh's Lohit sector and Manipur's Kabaw Valley.

 

Why is India considering a territorial swap?

 

According to The Diplomat, the primary objective is to expedite the demarcation of the unresolved stretch so that India can fence the border to curb illegal immigration, insurgent movement and other cross-border crimes.

 

In 2024, the government announced plans to fence the entire 1,643-km India-Myanmar border. It also decided to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR), which had been in place since 2018 and allowed tribal communities living near the border to travel up to 16 km into each other's territory without a visa using a border pass. The present India-Myanmar boundary was defined under a 1967 bilateral agreement, although parts of it remain unsettled.

 

In 2018, the government informed Parliament that the remaining unresolved stretches would be demarcated through a bilateral boundary mechanism, including the identification and installation of nine boundary pillars.

 

The most sensitive unresolved stretches are the Molcham sector between boundary pillars 64 and 68, the Moreh sector between pillars 75 and 79, and the Choro Khunou sector between pillars 88 and 95. India has consistently maintained that there is no broader border dispute with Myanmar and that only nine unresolved boundary pillars remain to be settled through bilateral mechanisms.

 

Citing an unnamed government official, The Diplomat reported that the issue was discussed during Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing's visit to India last month. According to the report, both sides considered erecting auxiliary and new boundary pillars in the Molcham sector between boundary pillars 65 and 68, while also examining a 2017 MEA proposal on the alignment of the border in the area.

 

Why has the proposal triggered opposition in Manipur?

 

The reported proposal has already drawn strong opposition in Manipur.

 

Following The Diplomat's report, The Imphal Times reported that the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) warned the Centre against ceding even a small portion of the state's territory to Myanmar, saying it would launch a strong public response if such a proposal was implemented.

 

COCOMI, a joint body of Meitei civil society organisations formed in 2019 during the Centre's peace talks with Naga insurgent groups, reiterated its stand on July 27, 10 days after The Diplomat report was published.

 

The organisation said, "If the contents of the report are true and the proposal is translated into action, COCOMI will not remain a silent spectator."

 

Describing Manipur's territorial integrity as non-negotiable, COCOMI said the state's existing boundaries had been inherited from previous generations and defended over time. It argued that Manipur had already lost parts of its historical territory following its merger with the Indian Union in 1949 and warned that any further reduction in the state's geographical boundaries would be unacceptable.