Burma’s alliance with Pyongyang, cause of worry for northeast India

Guwahati (Mizzima) - It is surprising as to why India, one of the strongest global torch bearers of democracy, is so silent on Burma.

Even as pro-democracy forces are fighting a long battle against the despotic military junta in Burma, New Delhi’s silence on Naypyidaw’s growing friendly relationships with Pyongyang, has surprised a lot of Indians, especially in northeast India.

People in northeast India have started questioning as to why New Delhi is so quiet on Burmese military junta’s activities, and especially on its growing relationships with North Korea.

After Burma restored its diplomatic ties with North Korea in April 2007, the Burmese interest to develop nuclear technology has reportedly grown substantially. Even the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said during the ASEAN Summit that the military and nuclear cooperation between North Korea and Burma was a “cause of serious concern”.

“We don’t understand as to why India’s foreign policy is not clear on Burma,” Nagen Saikia, a teacher of political science in Guwahati, capital of Assam State said, adding that New Delhi should immediately make its stand clear on restoration of democracy in Burma, and force Naypyidaw to end its relationship with North Korea.

Concerns were serious in June 2009 when it was reported that a North Korean freighter destined for Burma was suspected of carrying military cargo in violation of UN Security Council’s sanctions. As the US Navy chased the freighter, it returned to North Korea, rather than risk inspections.

Like the people of northeast, several countries in the world want India, which also has an economic interest in Burma, to lend its democratic voice against the autocratic military junta to stop the killing and end its relationship with North Korea.

For people of the northeast, restoration of democracy in Burma is a must. Thousands of people had taken out a candle-light procession in 2007 in Mawphlang in Meghalaya State of India when the junta had unleashed a reign of terror on the Buddhist monks as they were demanding restoration of democracy in the Land of the Pagodas.

“India’s foreign policy on Burma is not to take an active part in the internal matters and is primarily to find a place for itself as China has practically taken over the country,” Pradip Phanjoubam, editor of The Imphal Free Press said, adding that New Delhi is keen to use the country as a trade link to the fast-growing ASEAN region.

Phanjoubam, a senior journalist at Imphal, the capital of Manipur, said India is now desperate to end Chinese supremacy in Burma.

When India’s Vice-President Hamid Ansari visited Burma in 2009, he underlined the importance of economic engagement between the two countries. He had also emphasized the need for increasing the interaction between northeast Indian states and Burma, which occupy a central place in India’s Look East Policy.

Unfortunately, there is no people-to-people contact between the northeastern states and Burma. People, except for the smugglers and insurgents, don’t get to interact with each other. Moreover, people in northeast always look at the military junta with a lot of antagonism and distrust.

But, for New Delhi, Burma is the gateway to ASEAN as it is the only ASEAN country which has land and maritime borders with India. India and the ASEAN signed a Free Trade Agreement in August 2009 which will cover 11 countries, including Myanmar/Burma, with a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over $2 trillion.

As New Delhi’s relationships with Burma is a necessity, now, people in the northeastern states of India are more worried that any form of cloud-shrouded nexus between Burma and North Korea should not have any serious impact in the region. India and Burma share 1,700 km-long border, which is open and porous. Four Indian states---Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh share long international border running through a hostile terrain.

Saikia argued that New Delhi has been spending huge funds for development of modern roads, including the India-Burma-Thailand Trilateral Highway project and ports in Burma, but in return, people of India, and especially in the northeast, have got nothing.

India is funding $ (US) 20 million for establishment of wire manufacturing plant, $ (US) 64 million for three 230 KV transmission lines in Burma “But, in return, the military junta is giving us tensions and problems,” Saikia alleged.

New Delhi has always miserably failed in capturing Burma’s gas reserve as China and South Korean companies outsmarted India to shore up energy deals. Burma has reportedly one of the world’s biggest gas reserves estimated to be more than 90 trillion cubic feet. The dream project of India-Burma gas pipeline has also failed.

The northeastern states are already concerned over the trans-border movement of the separatist insurgent outfits. The ULFA, NSCN and the Meitei insurgent outfits use different areas under Sagaing Division of Burma that borders with India for safe sanctuary and training, and the State Peace and Development Council (regime in Burma) turns a blind eye to the concern. There are also reports that Burmese military officials collect huge amount of “protection tax” from the insurgent outfits for using the territory.

Drug smugglers, in collaboration with the Burmese security agencies, allegedly bring in large consignments of heroin, Amphetamine and Metamphitamine to the northeastern states, and the youth are falling prey to drugs.

“Several thousand Chins from Burma are illegally staying in Mizoram because of the atrocities of the military junta,” Rozika Changte, a Mizoram government official said, adding that New Delhi is not showing any interest to resolve the problem. Changte, who worked for a long time in the border town of Champhai in Mizoram, said many local Mizos are not happy with the Chin refugees staying in their state illegally.

Burma's military regime has been building underground tunnels in various parts of the country with assistance from North Korea and has been buying weapons from countries like Russia and China. Burma has recently signed a contract to buy 20 MIG-29 fighter planes from Russia. The contract is worth close to $570 million, according to media reports in Russia. It also continue to import various weapons and military equipments from China besides $2 billion arms import in the 1990s.

“Why does Burma need to buy arms? Whom will it fight? China or India? Or, is it trying to sell some of the small arms to the insurgent outfits of northeast” Kabya Jyoti Bora, a social activist working against the proliferation of small arms, said, adding that there are ceasefire agreements with most of armed ethnic groups such as Kachin, Shan and Wa, and the military junta does not need too many arms now.

Instead of instability across the India-Burma border and consequences of the lack of democracy and human rights in it neighbour, people in northeast India now want the general elections in Burma to be held democratically, to be free and inclusive, and the military junta should give up power which it had captured forcefully. Will New Delhi be able to play a pro-active role in Burma's 2010 election process to be free and fair? Or will selling weapons and providing arms to the Burmese junta make India's border safe and help stability on the border? These are questions that New Delhi will have to think over.