The emergence of new geopolitics in Myanmar and India’s troubled borderlands
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Maheshsana Rajkumar
Contd from prev issue
In Myanmar, it will then link Sittwe seaport to Paletwa in Chin State via the Kaladan river boat route, and then from Paletwa by road to Mizoram state in Northeast India. All components of the project, including Sittwe port and power, river dredging, Paletwa jetty, have been completed, except the under construction Zorinpui-Paletwa road. Originally, the project was scheduled to be completed by 2014, but the end-to-end project is expected to be fully operational only by December 2023 as per November 2023 update.
The route of the project around Paletwa is less than 20 km from the Bangladesh border and along the Kaladan River is troubled by the Chin conflict, Rohingya conflict, and militant groups such as Arakan Army and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
The Kuki-Chin people inhabiting Myanmar along the border with Manipur wanted to merge with India in the past. Maloy Krishna Dhar in his book, “Open Secrets India’s Intelligence Unveiled”, 2005, writes as follows:
“Kuki and Chin population of Burma living in the administrative units under Singgel, Sekshi, Pantha, Kuzet and Thygon often assisted them in demanding merger of the Burmese Kuki and Chin areas with India. It was a dangerous move.
The Kukis and other allied tribes had originally migrated to Manipur from Burma at a point of time when hegemony of the Manipur kings often stretched up to the Kabow valley and the banks of Chindwin.”
In the changing political scenario in Myanmar the question now arises will India rethink the earlier merger demands of the Kuki-Chin inhabited areas of Myanmar with the Indian Union in the event of a possible breakup? The serious posed to China is whether it will allow the Kachin and Chin EAOs the merger of Kuki-Chin inhabited areas of Myanmar into the Indian Union. The merger idea may not go down well with China taking into consideration the influence and dominance they want to exercise on the EAOs, particularly the Kachin and Chin EAOs. This merger if it becomes a reality in India will have dangerous implications for the Meiteis of Manipur.
There exists a good relationship between the Kachin and the Chin ethnic, and they are good allies being predominantly Christians with the strong backing of the world churches. It was the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), who first trained the Chin rebels in the use of firearms in Myanmar. The Kachin and Chin rebels have allied with PDF after the 2021 coup to overthrow the junta. Meanwhile, KIA had aligned with the Three Brotherhood Alliance in Shan State of Myanmar. The wind of change in Myanmar may even sway the Kachin Independence Army, a strong ally of NUG, and the Three Brotherhood alliance towards China in the fast- changing political environment. In the rightful saying the alliances made are meant to be broken in these prevailing circumstances.
As per the Reuters, November 14, 2023, the area of Khampat a town in Kabaw Valley in the Sagaing Region in western Myanmar came under the control of Chin rebels. The two camps next to India’s Mizoram State were also run over by the Chin rebels. The serious poser to the National Unity Government post junta is whether they will be successful to bring all the EAOs allied with them under the NUG banner to form the next government. The answers for all these questions only time will tell.
Now, looking back at the history of the Manipur kingdom, the border issues with Burma (Myanmar) had always been the bone of contention leading to frequent wars. The role of the Manipur kingdom was one of the factors in the events leading to the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-26) and the Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885). To be contd
Contd from prev issue
In Myanmar, it will then link Sittwe seaport to Paletwa in Chin State via the Kaladan river boat route, and then from Paletwa by road to Mizoram state in Northeast India. All components of the project, including Sittwe port and power, river dredging, Paletwa jetty, have been completed, except the under construction Zorinpui-Paletwa road. Originally, the project was scheduled to be completed by 2014, but the end-to-end project is expected to be fully operational only by December 2023 as per November 2023 update.
The route of the project around Paletwa is less than 20 km from the Bangladesh border and along the Kaladan River is troubled by the Chin conflict, Rohingya conflict, and militant groups such as Arakan Army and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
The Kuki-Chin people inhabiting Myanmar along the border with Manipur wanted to merge with India in the past. Maloy Krishna Dhar in his book, “Open Secrets India’s Intelligence Unveiled”, 2005, writes as follows:
“Kuki and Chin population of Burma living in the administrative units under Singgel, Sekshi, Pantha, Kuzet and Thygon often assisted them in demanding merger of the Burmese Kuki and Chin areas with India. It was a dangerous move.
The Kukis and other allied tribes had originally migrated to Manipur from Burma at a point of time when hegemony of the Manipur kings often stretched up to the Kabow valley and the banks of Chindwin.”
In the changing political scenario in Myanmar the question now arises will India rethink the earlier merger demands of the Kuki-Chin inhabited areas of Myanmar with the Indian Union in the event of a possible breakup? The serious posed to China is whether it will allow the Kachin and Chin EAOs the merger of Kuki-Chin inhabited areas of Myanmar into the Indian Union. The merger idea may not go down well with China taking into consideration the influence and dominance they want to exercise on the EAOs, particularly the Kachin and Chin EAOs. This merger if it becomes a reality in India will have dangerous implications for the Meiteis of Manipur.
There exists a good relationship between the Kachin and the Chin ethnic, and they are good allies being predominantly Christians with the strong backing of the world churches. It was the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), who first trained the Chin rebels in the use of firearms in Myanmar. The Kachin and Chin rebels have allied with PDF after the 2021 coup to overthrow the junta. Meanwhile, KIA had aligned with the Three Brotherhood Alliance in Shan State of Myanmar. The wind of change in Myanmar may even sway the Kachin Independence Army, a strong ally of NUG, and the Three Brotherhood alliance towards China in the fast- changing political environment. In the rightful saying the alliances made are meant to be broken in these prevailing circumstances.
As per the Reuters, November 14, 2023, the area of Khampat a town in Kabaw Valley in the Sagaing Region in western Myanmar came under the control of Chin rebels. The two camps next to India’s Mizoram State were also run over by the Chin rebels. The serious poser to the National Unity Government post junta is whether they will be successful to bring all the EAOs allied with them under the NUG banner to form the next government. The answers for all these questions only time will tell.
Now, looking back at the history of the Manipur kingdom, the border issues with Burma (Myanmar) had always been the bone of contention leading to frequent wars. The role of the Manipur kingdom was one of the factors in the events leading to the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-26) and the Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885). To be contd