India and Myanmar to hold high-level meeting

Ram Madhav greets the delegation.

BJP leader Ram Madhav greets Aung Moe Nyo, Aung Moe Nyo, Chief Minister of Myanmar’s Magway region government at the India-Myanmar border town of Moreh in Manipur. Photo: Twitter/@rammadhavbjp

India and Myanmar will hold a high-level meeting in Imphal on June 11 to bring the two countries closer. A nine-member team of Myanmar, led by Aung Moe Nyo, Chief Minister of the Magway region government, arrived at Moreh, Manipur’s border town, on June 9.

Warm welcome

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Ram Madhav, in-charge of the Northeast, air-dashed to Moreh despite inclement weather and welcomed team members at the international bridge. Later, Mr. Madhav also accorded a warm welcome at a hotel in Moreh, where the delegates shall stay. The Myanmarese Ambassador to India, Moe Kyaw Aung, is a part of the team. They will hold bilateral talks with the top ranking officials of India during the meeting in Imphal.

As a part of its ‘Act East’ policy, India and Myanmar have shared a cordial relationship. India has been extending developmental assistance to Myanmar over these years.

On the other hand, the Myanmarese Army has been over-running some military and administrative camps of Northeast militant groups taking shelter in Myanmar. Assam Rifles personnel have also been destroying the camps of some militant groups in some hill districts of Manipur. The outgoing Home Minister Rajnath Singh had claimed that insurgency in the Northeast is petering out.

‘Develop Moreh’

Mr. Madhav underlined the need to revamp the transport system in and around Imphal. He also said that Moreh town will be developed and spruced up since it should be the gateway for trade and other bilateral ties with Southeast Asian countries.

In the recent past, Myanmarese Buddhists on pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya, have complained of unnecessary travel requirements and the bad state of the NH102 that connects Moreh with Imphal in the hilly terrain.

The “traditional barter system at Moreh” among people on either side of the International Border was legalised in 1995.

Security measures in Manipur have been beefed up to ensure there is no untoward incident during the stay of the Chief Minister and other high officials of Myanmar.