By Shubhajit Roy
New Delhi, Jul 27 : In a significant move, Myanmar is all set to give citizenship cards to people of Indian origin even if they have no documentation.
This is likely to be part of the agreements signed between India and Myanmar as General Than Shwe comes to New Delhi.
This will allow people of Indian origin who crossed over a long time time ago and live on the India-Myanmar border areas to buy land and settle there.
Myanmar and India are also likely to sign an intelligence cooperation agreement, crucial in the backdrop of insurgent groups active in the border areas. The treaty will cover mutual legal assistance in criminal matters to combat transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, money-laundering and smuggling of arms and explosives.
The leader of the military junta in Myanmar, Than Shwe is on a five-day visit to India and will hold formal talks with the Indian delegation led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday evening.
An India-Myanmar-Thailand highway project, a border trade point on the Mizoram-Myanmar border, a truck assembly plant by Tata Motors, a hydro-electric project at Tamanthi to be built by NHPC, an Indian cultural centre at Yangon and funds for agricultural equipment — these are likely to be part of the agreements reached.
India is also likely to announce grants and lines of credit for developing power, road, railway and cross-border connectivity projects with Myanmar along the 1,645 km border between the two countries. A $60 million line of credit for developing the railway sector is on the way, said sources. A $1 billion-plus Indian investment in Myanmar’s gas and energy sectors may also be unveiled.
Shwe will also travel to Hyderabad and Jamshedpur to meet Indian business leaders. In Jamshedpur, he will see the Tata-owned Telco factory, which manufactures trucks.
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