Myanmar’s border base, patrolling to hit militants

In a major security breakthrough for India, Myanmar has started identifying locations to set up an Army cantonment in the Myanmar-Naga Hills area to take control of its “no man’s land” region, used as a safe sanctuary by insurgent outfits for several years. New Delhi hopes this will stop anti-India groups sheltering there.

Security sources in the home ministry said the Myanmar military has decided to make its administrative presence felt in the region, and also begin coordinated patrols along the international border with India.

The sources said this step was suggested by India at a recent meeting, noting Myanmar didn’t have any official presence in the Myanmar-Naga Hills region.

They said the Myanmar Army was maintaining vigil in the hilly terrain by sending patrol parties, but the setting up of an Army cantonment and increasing its infrastructure would help to drive out the Indian insurgents from Myanmar.

The home ministry sources said the problem was created due to a failure of Indian diplomacy, which had ignored Myanmar for long, and only recently had New Delhi started giving more importance to its immediate neighbours, and also increasing economic ties with them.