TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his first bilateral visit to India’s eastern neighbour Myanmar. The visit assumes great importance both for its timing and the prevailing political and security situation in Myanmar and the India-Myanmar border. It was in Myanmar capital Naypyidaw that PM Modi had revealed his government’s ‘Act East’ policy, one of the cornerstones of his foreign policy, during his last visit to the country for the ASEAN summit in 2014.
India and Myanmar share a 1,643-km long border along the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Considering the sensitive situation at the border and frequent reports of insurgent groups setting camps near the borders, the Indian government has a heavy deployment of counter-insurgency force at the border.
Myanmar is a vital part of PM Modi’s Act East policy. India has partnered with Myanmar in various multilateral trade agreements and connectivity initiatives and a number of government-funded infrastructure projects are underway in the country with India’s assistance. India has provided the largest grant-in-aid to Myanmar.
The volatile state of Rakhine has been witnessing large-scale violence against the Rohingya community. The violence against the 11 lakh-strong Rohingya Muslim community is one of the biggest challenges for Myanmar and now its neighbours, like India and Bangladesh, where the members of the community are streaming in as refugees.
