India’s interest in Myanmar’s civil war

Context:The Arakan Army recently seized control of Paletwa in the Chin State, located on Myanmar’s western borders with Bangladesh and India.

Key points:

• In 2021, the elected government in Myanmar was removed by the military leaders.
• As of now, the resistance against military rule has grown stronger, with Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) and the People’s Defence Forces gaining control over several towns across the country. 
• The Chin armed groups and the Arakan army have been engaged in combat against the Myanmar military.

Details about the news:

• A group called the Arakan Army took control of a place called Paletwa in Myanmar. 
• This could cause problems for a project that India is working on in Myanmar called the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project. 
• The Arakan Army is part of a group that some people think is supported by China. 
• China is a member of an important group called the United Nations Security Council, so many countries want to be nice to China to get their support.

Role of India:

• China’s alleged support for armed groups, such as the Arakan Army, has raised concerns for India that China is using these groups to hinder India’s connectivity projects in Myanmar. 
• The Arakan Army, along with other groups, has pledged to protect Chinese investments in Myanmar. 
• China has made significant investments in the region, including operationalizing oil and gas pipelines and signing agreements for a deep sea port and special economic zone. 
• China’s permanent membership in the UN Security Council gives it more influence and makes other actors more accommodating to its concerns compared to India.

Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP):

• The Kaladan Project is a plan to connect India and Myanmar through a route across the Bay of Bengal. 
• It was created by both countries to make it easier to transport goods from India’s eastern ports to Myanmar and the North-Eastern part of India. 
• India is building the project with financial help. 
• Once it’s finished, it will connect Kolkata in India to the Sittwe seaport in Myanmar, which is over 500 kilometres away. 
• The project has four important stages: a waterway from Kolkata to Sittwe, an inland waterway from Sittwe to Paletwa, a route from Paletwa to the border post in Myanmar, and finally a road connection to Lawngtlai in Mizoram.

Future Aspects:

• It is necessary to deploy skilled human resources in the Kaladan project to observe Chin-Arakan relationships, military conflicts, sectarian trouble Rakhine state and China’s existence in Myanmar.
• The case of the Kaladan project experience, therefore calls for locating these experts together to expedite connectivity and development within India’s immediate periphery.
• Both Chin and Arakan groups must settle on the governance structures to be installed in Paletwa-and adjacent regions for lasting peace.
• They need to build better inter-ethnic fraternity by appreciating each other s point of view on the lineage lines.
• The appropriate direction is the third one, concerning widening of humanitarian and development assistance to a larger number of ethnic organisations with devolving such procedures onto local populaces.
• Being a liberal democracy this is because India’s external engagement will be well monitored to see how internal violence in the area may spread across the borders as sectarian and identity-based violence.
• India’s security agencies have to periodically reconsider the approach of dealing with armed groups operating along borders and Beijing’s impact.

Conclusion:

• India should adopt a fair and proactive approach towards neighbouring countries, prioritising the Act East policy for its long-term security and economic benefits. 
• It is important to focus on the economic growth of the Northeastern states and the government’s positive actions will not only enhance security but also assure locals of their importance in the region.

Source: The hindu

Download as PDF