Page 3 - India-myanmar

Amid maritime disputes, Myanmar crisis, Asean meetings joined by US, China

Top diplomats from Southeast Asia convened Saturday in the Laotian capital with their powerful dialogue partners in the last of the three-day regional talks that have grappled with tensions over territorial claims in the South China Sea, escalating fighting in Myanmar, and regional rivalry. Meetings on Saturday will bring together in the same room allies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations including the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Australia to bolster their relationships and discuss key security issues and other regional affairs. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Saturday in Vientiane to meet with the ASEAN foreign ministers. He is also expected to meet on the sidelines with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, as both countries are looking to expand their influence in the region. Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith opened the first meeting of the day with China, Japan and South Korea by saying he hopes the cooperation framework, called ..

NSA Doval visits Myanmar, expresses concerns over ongoing violence

NSA Ajit Doval met his Myanmarese counterpart Admiral Moe Aung and is understood to have conveyed New Delhi's concerns over the impact of violence and instability in Myanmar on its border with India. Doval is in Myanmarese capital Naypyidaw to attend a meeting of security chiefs of member nations of BIMSTEC grouping, according to the Indian embassy in Yangon. Myanmar has been witnessing wide-spread violent protests demanding restoration of democracy since the military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021. Several parts of Myanmar have been witnessing intense fighting between the military junta and resistance forces. The resistance forces have already captured several towns. "NSA Shri Ajit Doval is leading the Indian delegation at the 4th Annual Meeting of #BIMSTEC Security Chiefs being held in Naypyitaw today. He met with the Myanmar NSA Admiral Moe Aung yesterday, and BIMSTEC Security Chiefs called on Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing," the Indian embassy said in

India supports return of democracy in Myanmar: EAM to Myanmarese minister

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday told his Myanmarese counterpart U Than Shwe that India supports the return of democracy in Myanmar even as he strongly pressed for the early return of Indians "unlawfully" detained by gangs involved in cyber scams in Myawaddy town. At a meeting with U Than Shwe, Jaishankar also raised the issue of flow of illegal narcotics, arms trade and activities of insurgent groups along the Indo-Myanmar border. The talks took place on the sidelines of a retreat session of the foreign ministers of member nations of BIMSTEC grouping in Delhi. "Met with DPM and FM U Than Swe of Myanmar on the sidelines of BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat. Shared our concerns regarding border stability and flow of displaced persons," Jaishankar said on 'X'. "Also spoke about issues of illegal narcotics and arms trade and activities of insurgent groups. Pressed strongly for the early return of Indians unlawfully detained by cyber scam gangs," he said. "India ...

Best of BS Opinion: Monsoon relief, Delhi's government gap & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Myanmar and regional security

The civil war in the country has spilled over into India and the time may have come to review our tacit support to the junta

Nation's security top priority: Jaishankar on Indo-Myanmar border fencing

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said the Centre decided to fence the Indo-Myanmar border and end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) because the government gives top priority to the country's security. He said this while speaking to reporters after releasing the BJP manifesto in Aizawl. Thousands of people from Myanmar have taken refuge in various north-eastern states, especially in Mizoram, after fleeing their country following a military coup in February 2021. "I think the security of our country, security of our states, including Mizoram, require us to take certain precautions. But the precautions that we are taking right now are in response to a certain situation. Even right now our neighbour is going through a very difficult phase. If things were normal in Myanmar, this would not have happened," Jaishankar said. He said that the Centre is very sensitive to the interests of people, traditions, customs and relationships across the border. "Right now it is importan

Mizoram adopts resolution against Centre's move to fence Myanmar border

It urged the Union government to instead take steps to ensure that Zo ethnic people, "who have been divided in different countries, are unified under one administrative unit"

Mizoram NGO urges govt to reconsider decision to fence India-Myanmar border

The Mizoram NGO Coordination Committee (NGOCC) has urged the Centre to reconsider its decision to fence the India-Myanmar border and suspend the Free Movement Regime (FMR) with the neighbouring country. In a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, NGOCC, a conglomerate of major civil society organisations and student bodies, including the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA) and the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), expressed concerns over the Centre's decisions in this regard. "Being one of the signatories of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), 2007, we believe that our country would have taken measures to assert the rights of indigenous peoples who are divided by international border, as stated in Article 36 of UNDRIP. "But we are astonished by the Centre's decision to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) as well as its attempt to fence the border instead of maintaining and developing relations between the peoples living on both sides of the ...

Free Movement Regime between India and Myanmar scrapped: Amit Shah

Union Minister Amit Shah said the decision was taken to maintain the demographic structure of India's northeastern states bordering Myanmar

Manipur CM thanks Modi, Shah for decision to scrap India-Myanmar FMR

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for scrapping the India-Myanmar Free Movement Regime (FMR) and for their committment to secure the border. Earlier in the day, Shah said the Centre has decided to scrap the FMR to ensure the country's internal security and maintain the demographic structure of the Northeastern states. The FMR allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without any documents. Taking to X, Singh said, "Immensely grateful to Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji and Hon'ble HM Shri Amit Shah Ji for their commitment to securing our borders. The decision to scrap the FMR between India and Myanmar, as recommended by the Minister of Home Affairs, India, is crucial for our internal security and the demographic integrity of our North Eastern States." "This is yet another historic decision in curbing illegal immigration and strengthening

Indo-Myanmar border fence will sever ethnic ties, say Kuki-Zo people

The Centre's decision to fence the Indo-Myanmar border has evoked mixed reactions with the Kuki-Zo people claiming that the move will sever ethnic ties and Meitei organisations hailing the step saying it will check movement of unscrupulous elements from across the border. The reactions came a day after the announcement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on X that the Centre had decided to fence the Indo-Myanmar border. "It has been decided to construct a fence along the entire 1643-kilometre-long Indo-Myanmar border. To facilitate better surveillance, a patrol track along the border will also be paved," Shah had said. Reacting to the move, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the apex students' body of Mizoram, said fencing the border will divide the Zo ethnic people between the two countries and bring an end to the Free Movement Regime (FMR). The FMR allows people living on either side of the border enter up to 16 km of each other's country without needing a visa and stay up to two weeks. Th

Arunachal Pradesh CM hails Centre's move to fence India, Myanmar border

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu hailed the decision of the Centre to fence the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, saying that the move will check the movement of unscrupulous elements from across the border. Home Minister Amit Shah had on Tuesday announced the decision to fence the India-Myanmar border, which could virtually put an end to the Free Movement Regime (FMR) prevalent along the porous border. The FMR allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without any document. The 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, which passes through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, currently has FMR. It was introduced in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy. Arunachal Pradesh shares a 520-km border with Myanmar. "A great move in the right direction to make our borders foolproof. Gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and Hon'ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji to fence our borde

Govt to fence entire 1,643-km-long border with Myanmar: Amit Shah

India has decided to fence the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Tuesday. The move could virtually put an end to the Free Movement Regime (FMR) prevalent along the porous border. The FMR allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without any document. The 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, which passes through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, currently has FMR. It was implemented in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy. Fencing along the border has been a persistent demand of the Imphal Valley-based Meitei groups which have been alleging that tribal militants often enter into India through the porous border. The Meitei groups also allege that narcotics are being smuggled into India taking advantage of the unfenced international border. In a post on X, Shah said the Narendra Modi government is committed to building impenetrable borders. "It has decid

European Union condemns human rights violations under military in Myanmar

Meanwhile, the US imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military regime and four individuals and two entities linked to Myanmar's military regime have been designated

Mizo student body urges Centre to reconsider fencing Indo-Myanmar border

Mizoram's apex student body Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the Centre's decision to fence the Indo-Myanmar border and scrap the Free Movement Regime. In the letter sent through state governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, the MZP expressed concern and opposition to the Centre's decision to fence the Indo-Myanmar border. It said that fencing the Indo-Myanmar border and scrapping the FMR will "divide" the ethnic Zo people living in India and Myanmar. "Although the Zo people have been divided by the administrative division since the colonial period and international boundary in post-colonial era, we do not feel separated", the organisation said in the letter on Monday. "It (FMR) enables us to participate in each other's funeral, marriage ceremonies, pay visit to patients at home, participate in religious meetings, and engage in local-level sports tournaments. The decision to terminate the FMR regime will take away these essential aspects and will

Can't stop Centre from fencing India-Myanmar border: Mizoram CM Lalduhoma

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Saturday said his government does not have the authority to stop the Centre from fencing the India-Myanmar border and scrapping the Free Movement Regime (FMR), but maintained that he was opposed to it. Addressing a press conference hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah made the announcement in Guwahati, he said the border with Myanmar in Mizoram was "imposed" by the British, and the Mizo people living on the two sides of it do not accept it. "If the Centre goes ahead with its plan to fence the India-Myanmar border and scrap the FMR, we have no authority and we cannot stop it," he said. Lalduhoma said that his government and different organisations in the state were opposed to the fencing of the border and scrapping of the FMR as Mizos share ethnic ties with the people of the Chin community in Myanmar. He said that Mizos living in different parts of the world "dream of reunification", and fencing the present border will amount to approval of t

Will stop free movement at Myanmar border, protect it like Bangladesh: Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the government will end the free movement of people at the India-Myanmar border, and fence it completely so that it can be protected like the country's boundary with Bangladesh. Shah made the announcement while addressing the passing out parade of the first batch of the five newly constituted Assam Police Commando battalions in Guwahati. "The Narendra Modi government has decided that the India-Myanmar border, which is open, will be protected by barbed fencing. The entire border will have barbed fencing like what we have at the India-Bangladesh border," he said. "The Indian government is rethinking the free movement agreement with Myanmar. Now, the Government of India is going to stop this facility," he added. The Free Movement Regime allows people living on both sides of the border to travel 16 km into each other's territory without a visa. Four Indian states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, share a 1,643-km-long border w

Ethnic guerrilla groups agreed to an immediate cease-fire: Myanmar army

Myanmar's military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the country's northeast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Myanmar's military government confirmed the development, as did the ethnic alliance. The agreement was brokered at talks mediated by China on Wednesday and Thursday in Kunming, a Chinese provincial capital about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the border with Myanmar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. China hopes the relevant parties in Myanmar can conscientiously implement the agreement, exercise maximum restraint toward each other and solve the issues through dialogue and consultations, she said at a daily briefing in Beijing. Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson of Myanmar's ruling military council, said in an audio note to journalists that the two sides had met in Kunming and after talks, agreed on a temporary cease-fire agreement. "We will continue discussions We w

Air attack in northwestern Myanmar kills 17, military denies responsibility

Airstrikes by Myanmar's military on a village under the control of the pro-democracy resistance in the country's northwest have killed at least 17 civilians, including nine children, local residents and a human rights group said Sunday. The morning aerial attacks on Kanan village in Sagaing region's Khampat town, just south of the Indian border, also wounded about 20 people, they said. Myanmar is wracked by violence that began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict. The country's independent online media and the BBC's Myanmar-language service reported the air attack Sunday, but the military government denied responsibility, claiming that it was false news spread by Khit Thit Media, an independent online news service sympathetic to the anti-military resistance. The report

Gunfight breaks out between militants, security forces in Manipur's Moreh

A gunfight broke out between security forces and militants in Manipur's Moreh town along the India-Myanmar border on Sunday night, police said. Hills-based militants attacked state police forces, who retaliated, resulting in a gunfight, a police officer said. Further details are awaited. The border town in Tengnoupal district had witnessed a heavy gunfight on January 2, in which six security personnel, including a BSF jawan, were injured. They were airlifted to Imphal for better treatment. Before that, the town witnessed similar gun-battles since December 30. Chief Minister N Biren Singh had last week remarked that there were "high chances" that foreign mercenaries from Myanmar were involved in the attacks in Moreh.