New Delhi: Describing the tensions at the Indo-Myanmar border between the military there and Chin rebels as a matter of concern with deep security implications for India, Army chief Gen Manoj Pande Thursday said the deployment of Indian soldiers along the border has been beefed up.
A total of 416 Myanmarese Army personnel crossed over to India in the last two months and were later returned to Myanmar, he added.
The Army chief also said that given the friction between soldiers and rebels on the Myanmar side of the border, some insurgent groups operating there are trying to cross over to India and set up bases here.
He added that the Assam Rifles has already upped its deployment along the Indo-Myanmar border, with additional soldiers being brought in and that there is a proposal to increase the fenced area on the Indian side of the border, in Mizoram and Manipur.
“The situation at the Indo-Myanmar border is of concern to us. You are aware of the activities of the Myanmar army and the ethnic armed organisation and the PDF (People’s Defence Force) in the past couple of months which has resulted in some of the Myanmar army personnel walking across, about 416 of them to date,” he said, addressing the annual press conference here ahead of Army Day.
He noted that some Myanmarese civilians too crossed over to Mizoram and Manipur in search of shelter.
“But what is of concern is because of the situation across the Indo-Myanmar border, we also have some of the insurgent groups who are feeling the pressure and who have now attempted to come onto our side of the border in the state of Manipur,” he said.
He added, “That, combined with the situation in Manipur, is something we are keeping a close watch on. We have close to 20 Assam Rifle battalions which are deployed at the Indo-Myanmar border. There is also talk of further strengthening our fence along the border…”
Since November, the Myanmar Army has been engaged in intense fighting with Chin rebel groups. Led by the so-called Three Brotherhood Alliance — a coalition of ethnic militia consisting of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance, Ta’ang National Liberation Army and Arakan Army — the rebels have managed to overrun 300 outposts and bases.
A separate operation by the rebels saw army bases collapse across the Karenni state.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said last November that it was “deeply concerned” by the clashes in Myanmar, “close to our border”.
“Our position on the ongoing situation in Myanmar is very clear. We want secession of the violence and restitution situation or resolution of the situation through constructive dialogue. We reiterate our call for the return of peace, stability, and democracy in Myanmar,” the MEA had said then.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)