Amrit Vichar: The two countries have jointly initiated an initiative to resolve the decades-old India-Myanmar border dispute. India and Myanmar discussed a possible territorial exchange to demarcate the Manipur border. The two countries have held talks to resolve undemarcated portions of their shared border, including the sensitive section between border pillars 65 and 68 in Manipur.
Responding to a question about the land swap at a press conference in Delhi, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India and Myanmar are in talks to resolve the undemarcated border areas. Reports indicate that approximately 1.4 square miles of land between pillars 65 and 68 in Manipur’s Chandel district could be exchanged.
The move aims to finalize the demarcation so that India can erect a fence along the 1,643 km-long border to prevent illegal immigration and insurgency. Local groups in Manipur have strongly opposed this, demanding clarification on any land transfer. Jaiswal did not directly confirm or deny reports of a land exchange. However, his statement made it clear that talks on the long-pending border demarcation issue between India and Myanmar are progressing.
Why the development is in the news
The India-Myanmar border has once again sparked discussion. The issue came into the spotlight when a report in the American magazine “The Diplomat” claimed that the Indian government is seriously considering a proposal to complete the demarcation along the India-Myanmar border in Manipur. The report, published on July 17, citing a purported government document, stated that a proposal to exchange approximately 1.4 square miles of land is under consideration to finalize the border demarcation between Border Pillars 65 and 68. This area along the border with Manipur is considered strategically and security-critical, and any proposal for such a potential border arrangement or land exchange is being closely monitored by all parties.