NSA Ajit Doval to visit Myanmar to bolster ties

NEW DELHI: In the aftermath of the Indian Army raid on camps of northeastern militants inside Myanmar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will visit Naypyidaw in the next couple of days to meet Myanmarese President Thein Sein. Given the presence of militants on both sides of the border, India and Myanmar plan to elevate their security cooperation.
Indian envoy to Yangon, Gautam Mukhopadhyay, met the Myanmar leadership on Wednesday to discuss the next level of cooperation between the countries.
According to sources, Tuesday’s operation, which was facilitated by Myanmar Army, also brought home the fact that these militant groups threaten India and Myanmar equally. The UNLFW — a collection of several north-eastern militant groups — is intended to attack both Myanmar and India, and supported by elements within the Chinese security apparatus.
Doval’s first act would be to thank Myanmar’s leadership for its permission to conduct the operation. India and Myanmar have been building a fairly strong defence and security relationship, including exchange of intelligence. That will be stepped up in the coming weeks, said sources. India has, in the past, helped Myanmar with defence acquisitions as well.
It became important to correct the narrative after a spate of hyperbolic statements threatened to obscure the real story. India and Myanmar had coordinated before the operation, but the former has been spooked by Indian media reports designating them as the target when actually it’s the Indian militants setting up camps inside their territory.
As Myanmar prepares for polls later this year, it’s important for it to secure its territory against militants. Moreover, if India plans more attacks in Myanmar to neutralize more militants, both countries would have to be on the same page. In fact, with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and even Nepal, India has stepped up security cooperation in the past few years aimed at countering cross-border terror.