The head of Myanmar’s military regime, senior general Than Shwe, will arrive in India on a state visit next week for the second time in six years.
Than Shwe will hold talks with President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior cabinet ministers. Both sides expect several pacts to be signed.
The Myanmar leader is expected to visit the Buddhist pilgrimage centre of Bodh Gaya before arriving in New Delhi. He is also likely to make a stop in Hyderabad.
An Indian foreign ministry official said, requesting anonymity, that the visit is part of New Delhi’s attempts to expand its engagement with neighbours. India has already hosted Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed and some Nepalese leaders in recent months.
The red carpet for Than Shwe reflects the shift in India’s policy towards Myanmar. New Delhi earlier backed Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader who is opposed to the military regime of Than Shwe. In 1993, India awarded her the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding for humanitarian work.
But in recent years, the government has cultivated ties with Myanmar and made investments in large-scale energy and infrastructure projects
“India is following a nuanced approach, which is the right policy on Myanmar because New Delhi has to balance its larger strategic interests with support for democracy and human rights,” said former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal.
The change was brought about by the need to enlist Myanmar’s help to counter militants from India’s north-east operating along their common border and shut down their bases in Myanmar, besides tapping its vast oil and gas resources and countering a growing Chinese presence, said Marie Lall, an expert on South Asia at the London-based Chatham House think-tank.
“Containing insurgency movements are part of India’s new attitude towards Myanmar,” she said in an email.
“Security is a very important factor for us,” a government official said, pointing to the 1,642km border that India shares with Myanmar. “The government there has shown a willingness to help us.”
The two countries have already signed a pact on intelligence sharing; their armies hold a meeting every three months.
Bilateral economic cooperation is also in full swing. New Delhi has opened two border trading points in Manipur and Mizoram. Bilateral trade, however, is just around $1 billion (around Rs4,700 crore), far below the potential, according to Indian officials.
India has also pledged $120 million to develop Myanmar’s Sittwe port, located in the Bay of Bengal. Once developed, it will help make Myanmar’s Kaladan river navigable up to Mizoram state—boosting trade and connectivity with India’s landlocked north-east.
A government official said the country advocates engagement rather than sanctions as a means to exert influence over the military administration. “New Delhi has always raised the issue of Suu Kyi’s detention and the need to include all sections in the national reconciliation process in all private conversations with Myanmarese leaders.”
The first elections in two decades are due in Myanmar later this year.
**The author can be contacted at elizabeth.r@livemint.com
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