Indian Military Delegation Concludes Visit to Myanmar; Counter Terror Cooperatio

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Major General G.S. Malhi of the Indian army's Higher Command Course met Lieutenant General Hla Htay Win, chief of armed forces training in Naypyidaw on Oct 25. New Light of Myanmar - an official Myanmar Government media outlet - reported on Saturday that the Indian military delegation led by G.S. Malhi made a five-day visit to Burma between Oct 24-29, visiting the elite National Defense College (NDC) in the Burmese capital.

According to Burmese military expert Maung Aung Myoe, the Indian armed forces offered support for the NDC and the Staff College of the Burmese military. India, the world's biggest democracy, is one of a few countries alongside China, Russia, Pakistan, Malaysia and Singapore where the junta can send military officials for studies.

In Burma, G.S. Malhi seemed to raise the issue of insurgency in northeast India along the Indo-Burmese border as the state newspaper reported that on Oct. 26 he met Brig-Gen Soe Lwin at the headquarters of the Burmese military's Northwest Regional Military Command in Monywa, Sagaing Division, which commands troops along the Indo-Burmese border. During junta head Snr-Gen Than Shwe's last visit to India in July, Burma and India signed a cooperation agreement for counter terror operations along the border. An Indian official statement then said the two countries "resolved not to allow their respective territory to be used for training, sanctuary and other operations by terrorist and insurgent organizations and their operatives."

"In India's case, Myanmar [Burma] is its immediate neighbor with a 1640 km land border and a long maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal," said the South Asia Analysis Group, an Indian think-tank in an article entitled "Because of the strategic, security and economic concerns, India has to be in an engagement mode with Myanmar." Despite strong prior support for Burma's pro-democracy movement, since the 1990s New Delhi has been working under its "Look East" policy on a closer relationship with the Burmese junta to balance influence from China, its regional rival.