By Venkatesh Ragavan
The latest ambush witnessed in Manipur in which an army officer from the Assam rifles and his family besides several soldiers lost their lives, have rekindled strong contentions that Myanmar’s military government that has close ties with the Chinese authorities is facilitating the military training and infiltration of insurgents into the state from across their border.
Intelligence sources citing the instance averred that the military rulers in Myanmar shared a symbiotic relationship with the Chinese authorities. “Chinese army personnel conduct training in military camps inside Myanmar soil. This helps the Myanmar military rulers who are severely understaffed to employ those who have been imparted training in military patrolling duty. At the same time, the Chinese get to use Myanmar soil to facilitate infiltration of insurgents across its border into the bordering Indian state of Manipur,” the intelligence source confided.
Also read: Seven including CO killed in ambush on Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur
China’s increasingly hostile attitude towards India is attributed to our country being vocally supportive of both Taiwan and Tibet, in collusion with the global anti-China lobbyists. It was further reported that the covert Chinese attempts in encouraging and fostering insurgency in India’s North Eastern states might get more pronounced as Myanmar’s military Junta find it convenient in terms of military manpower besides financial assistance.
While traditionally, India enjoyed a good rapport with Myanmar’s civilian government besides having signed a treaty that permitted them to conduct surgical strikes in its territories, the military takeover in early February this year has changed the equation in favor of China. Though Indian diplomats and ministry spokespersons have been guarded in issuing statements about the military coup that rocked the country, it’s a known fact that India favors Myanmar returning to a democratic civilian rule.
The recent ambush in question that has thrown up a volley of accusations about Chinese meddling with our Northeastern border has brought two of Manipur’s local militant outfits into the spotlight, namely People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Manipur Naga People’s Front (MNPF). Incidentally, both these organizations have claimed credit for the ambush that targeted the military jeep, killing seven persons in all.
Sources from ground informed that the current BJP-led government is yet to come to terms with Left leaning elements that harbor sympathy for the rebel outfits having infiltrated their cadres as a consequence of horse-trading resorted to by the Party before government formation in the state. “Intervention from the Centre, with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah being proactive in signing accords has succeeded in ushering in a relatively peaceful era in the history of the formerly strife torn state of ours,” the source added.
While militancy in the Northeastern states for long has plagued India, coming in the way of development and enhancement of economic activities in this region, this issue assumes geopolitical importance in the current scenario, with China attempting to isolate India from its immediate neighbours.
