Defence Secy talks drug trafficking in visit to Myanmar
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New Delhi, Jul 3
Amid the continuing tensions in Manipur, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane made a two-day visit to Myanmar to meet its senior leadership to discuss issues of maintaining peace in border areas, illegal trans-border movements and transnational crimes such as drug trafficking and smuggling.
“The visit provided an opportunity to raise matters relating to India’s security with senior leadership of Myanmar,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement Saturday.
It added that both sides reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other.
India shares an approximately 1,700-km long border with Myanmar. India has deployed thousands of troops in Manipur since the clashes broke out and additional special forces were deployed at the sensitive India-Myanmar
border to tackle any possible contingency.
Defence sources told The Indian Express said that the timing of the visit is significant with increasing narcotics smuggling and drug trafficking from Myanmar since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur in May.
They added that officials from the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs and Armed Forces officials were part of the delegation accompanying the Defence Secretary.
“Support to the valley based insurgent groups, inflow of arms to rioters and tacit external support compounding the lawlessness in the State were also on the agenda for discussions,” an official said. Indian Express
Amid the continuing tensions in Manipur, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane made a two-day visit to Myanmar to meet its senior leadership to discuss issues of maintaining peace in border areas, illegal trans-border movements and transnational crimes such as drug trafficking and smuggling.
“The visit provided an opportunity to raise matters relating to India’s security with senior leadership of Myanmar,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement Saturday.
It added that both sides reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other.
India shares an approximately 1,700-km long border with Myanmar. India has deployed thousands of troops in Manipur since the clashes broke out and additional special forces were deployed at the sensitive India-Myanmar
border to tackle any possible contingency.
Defence sources told The Indian Express said that the timing of the visit is significant with increasing narcotics smuggling and drug trafficking from Myanmar since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur in May.
They added that officials from the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs and Armed Forces officials were part of the delegation accompanying the Defence Secretary.
“Support to the valley based insurgent groups, inflow of arms to rioters and tacit external support compounding the lawlessness in the State were also on the agenda for discussions,” an official said. Indian Express