India trains Burmese pilots in Kochi
India to train Burma Army on its soil
India to train Burma Army on its soil
Subhaschandra M
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
June 26, 2007 - India seems to be going all out to woo the Burmese military junta. It has decided to train officers of the Burmese Army on Indian soil. This comes in the wake of India's training Burmese air farce pilots in handling sophisticated aircraft in Kerala.
And then there is the larger objective of boosting border trade. These moves also come in the backdrop of the proposed Trans-Asian Highways and Trans-Asian Railways as part of India's much hyped 'Look East Policy".
Defence sources here said the training is expected to start next month. New Delhi's decision to train the Burma Army has already been intimated to Yangon.
India also wants start a training centre to impart military training to the Burma Army by Indian Army officers in Mandalay.
Besides, with a view to improve bilateral ties and strengthen diplomatic relations, India has also decided to gift a Russian made chopper (AL-72) to Burma, another highly placed source said adding that four Indian helicopters made by Hindustan Aeronauticals Limited (HAL) have already been given to Myanmar.
India also supplied a huge consignment of artillery last year as a one time grant to help the Burma Army.
The arms shipments were transported through the border town of Moreh, a Customs sources said.
The relationship between the India and the military junta has been tenuous and only recently, the Burma Army had tacitly implied that Indian security forces were behind the bomb blast in Nanpharlone on May 25 where one person was killed.
Similarly, Assam Rifles troops in Moreh have been accused by many of offering a safe haven to cadres of the Kuki National Army, the armed wing of the Kuki National Organisation, which is banned in Myanmar .
Despite this, efforts have been taken up in the recent past to improve bilateral ties and boost trade and commerce across the border.
Last year, an Indo-Burma car rally was held from Delhi to Yangon. Apart from the need to strengthen diplomatic ties, the recent initiatives taken by both countries are seen as measures to check drug trafficking and arms smuggling.
India has already begun to train Burmese pilots at the naval base in Kochi in Kerala.
On the other hand India has asked Burma to pull up its socks and ensure that no unwanted incidents occur from across the border, another well placed source said.
The step was taken following the recent outbreak of violence in Burma's Nanpharlone border market on May 25 followed by trouble in Moreh town on June 9 which claimed 11 lives persons leading to halt in border trade for almost a month.
Nearly over 500 people in the border town also deserted their homes and took refuge in Burma in the days that followed the June 9 killings. Charges and counter charges between the Manipur based outfit United National Liberation Front and Burmese origin Kuki National Organisation followed the Moreh killings with each accusing the other of triggering the spate of killings. Normalcy returned to the border town only recently.
New Delhi wants Burma not to offer shelter to any insurgent outfits active in its northeastern states, sources added.
The Indian Army had earlier asked the Burma Army to clear the camps of the insurgent outfits and reports had come in that efforts were on to identify the exact location of the camps so that operations could be launched.
Major General E K Kochekkan, General Officer in Command of the 57 Mountain Division had once said that there are over 15 major hideouts of the NE Insurgents in Myanmar.
