For 25 years, India walked a tightrope in Myanmar between the need to build relations with an important neighbour that was also a strategic gateway to South-east and East Asia, and its conscience. Aung San Suu Kyi was the discomfiting reminder of that conscience. In the struggle to keep a balance between the two, New Delhi could neither go full steam ahead with the military regime that had kept Ms Suu Kyi under arrest, nor go all out to support the pro-democracy movement she led. That partly explains why no Indian Prime Minister visited Myanmar after Rajiv Gandhi in 1987. Now that Ms Suu Kyi, who was released in 2010, is participating in the country's political reforms, India has signalled with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit earlier this week that it wants nothing other than a full normalisation of relations, and quickly. The reasons are no secret. With the western world having suspended sanctions on Myanmar, the country is gradually opening up its resource-rich economy, and as a neighbour, India clearly does not want to be left behind in the race. Equally important, Myanmar borders four states in India's insurgency-hit Northeast. One reason why India did business with the military regime was to keep it from nurturing rebel groups. Prospects for stability in that region have increased with the Myanmar government's decision seriously to pursue reconciliation with various armed ethnic rebel groups on its own side. The development of the border areas could help keep both sides stable and peaceful, give an economic leg-up to the Northeast, plus help connect India to the ASEAN countries.
Forced by sanctions to be China-centric, Myanmar is also eager to diversify its economic and political relations. It is natural for it to want to take advantage of what the Indian economy has to offer. The dozen pacts inked during Prime Minister Singh's visit, including those to improve air and land connectivity between the two countries, and to increase trade, reflect this new urgency to improve bilateral relations, not just between the governments but also between the people of the two countries. As Ms Suu Kyi pointed out at her meeting with Dr. Singh, real friendship between countries can come only with friendship between peoples. India must play its part in this by engaging more with Ms Suu Kyi, whose recent election victory confirmed that she and her party are the leading representatives of the people of Myanmar. By underlining her “defining” role in the unfolding political process, Prime Minister Singh has sought to reverse the earlier, erroneous Indian reading of her as a political has-been. But New Delhi still has a lot of catching up to do on this front.
Keywords: India-Myanmar ties, Myanmar politics, Aung San Suu Kyi
Without criticizing the move , Prime Minister has taken it is doubtless
that it will assist in raising a bit of Indian economy which is
observing free fall under gravity these days. The article clearly
pointed out how Myanmar is loaded with the natural wealth and India
should make an opportunistic approach to make the most of it.
having geographical proximty with myanmar as well as concurrence of the views of Aung suu kyi has been important factors for our country to forge strong relationship with burma.instead of regional rivalry it is mutual advantage for both countries to hone their ties.as insurgency infected north east will be major beneficiaciary of the improving relations between two countries .so immediate and concerted efforts from both sides will likely ti deepen and beef up the bond betwwn two countries.moreover,india being worlds mightiest democracy will help build artifice on the foundation laid by suu kyi.though this will take little time but india will always be enviable and easily approchable partner for burma.
India - a nation on consistent catchup mode. We take clue from others. Honestly a pathetic way of respect to our forefathers - Gandhi, Shivaji, Raja Raja, Samudhra Gupta, Asokha, Chandragupta, Krisha, Rama... If India cant drive the neighbours and near neighbours to its fold with solid policy, statesmanship and forth, we are no where in power table. If we still take clue from Britian or France on how to have relationship with any country or for that matter ask them in straight meetings in front of media that why they behave in certain way in certain regions of the world as a larger nation, we are getting back slowly to say YES to western ruling. Not big different from before 1947.
Burma had been a important country for india even in the colonial rule. Remember it was the base of INA of Subhash chandra bose. With winning of Sui ki once again burma has became quite linked with democratic principles. Its tìme india should strengthen the knot of freindship. We can have a joint employment oppurtunities scheme in both countries open for the citizens of both countries. India should pay back to burma for his historical support with all the help that burma needs. As considering that burma is said to be the centre of asia for trade, if india has a healthy relationship with burma it will surely benefits india's access to southeast asia
A fundamental factor is, unless we ensure total political stability plus absence of insurgency in North East India, our Look East Policy using Myanmar as a springboard will come a-cropper. NEI, considered India's most important geo-strategic cum geo-economic segment has been deprived of development inputs and social integration with the Motherland ever since Independence due to Nehru's parochialism and distaste for eastern India. His "vision" of India was Kashmir and the cow belt, period. Today, the residents of NEI genuinely feel that India does not want them. Hence China and Bangladesh have been making hay at our cost. If we are truly serious about looking East, then we must rectify Nehru's misdeeds with determination. Perhaps a worthy start could be by appointing Purno Sangma as our next President.
As things stand in south Asia, next three years are going to witness
watershed changes and extremely important for us for two reasons.
1.USA plan to have greater control in Indian ocean to counter
increasing Chinese might. They have already talked with Bangladesh &
they will Burma too. These two countries only can be their naval fleet
abode because Srilanka won't allow them to use their ports post UN
resolution episode.
2. China too will eye Burma for both energy purposes and and strategic
causes.
The challenge before India will be to counter the hegemonic intentions
of both the powers. Advantage for India is that Burmese identify
themselves more closely with Indian culture. We should use this
cultural advantage to fight the might of USA and China in Burma. I'm
happy that the moment some semblance for democracy appeared our PM
visited. Two times increase in the scholarship announced by our PM will
help more Burmese students get the feel India. The move is extremely
appreciable.
Yes, we have still a lot of catching up to do. We would also have to
take a lesson from what is being done to African nations where China
has dominated much to the envy of western nations and where we had
lately entered. In respect of Burma our ties are even older. In my
own family we had several relations who had worked in Burma in the
thirties and forties. Thus India is a familiar country for the Burmese
and vice versa. We have a lot on our agenda: integration lof NE states
with Burma by road and train and air services. Shipping services must
restart from Rangoon to Indian ports. Keep in mind the role China has
been playing in it developmental works in Burma. Our Look East Policy
also envisages greater and stronger links. Education and health are
special areas that our help could mean a lot for Burma. Our apex
business chambers must take initiatives in this regard. There should
be aspecial cell in Delhi-not the usual GoM we resort to-but at the
civil servants level where approopriate.
India's fears stem from the growing clout that China has wielded over the years in Burma and creating one more pearl to encircle India. Hence , it becomes imperative for India to counter-weight Chinese influence , notwithstading anti-democratic dispensation in Myanmar. India's mandarins were also at pains to choose between ideological-driven geo-politics or mutual-interest based dealing , unmidful of anti-democratic forces. No doubt , India's geo-stategic somersault in realtion to Burma has been looked down by democratic country as opportunistic . Inevitably , policy-makers have to devise a new foreign policy towards Myanmar by giving due consideration to the democratic forces , and Aang San Su Kyi is an inseperable part of them.
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