State should speak from a position of strength : Audacious twist to border row
- Sangai Express Editorial :: August 24, 2013 -

The ADC of Moreh and State police persuading a Myanmar Army official to stop the work :: Pix - TSE

The arrogance is unmistakable. An arrogance stemmed not only from the 'base camp was constructed at the order of the Myanmar Government's higher authorities' but in the implicit message that is implied here.

A temporary army base camp well inside the territory of Manipur at the instance of the higher authorities of the Government of Myanmar could not have come from the mouth of a CO of any army unit, without the knowledge of the higher authorities of the Government of India.

Stretch this line of observation a little more and the picture that accompanied the story "Myanmar moves to set up base at Cdl district" and which appeared in the 23rd August edition of this paper will tell some significant tales.

A Myanmar army officer raising his hand and making a point and three State officials including the ADC of Moreh, SDPO of Moreh police and CO of Moreh Commandos, standing in rapt attention.

So many things can be discerned from the body language of the officials of the two neighbouring countries and it is unthinkable that the an officer of the Myanmar army would have had the gumption to strike such a dominating pose, without directives from the higher ups.

And no doubt the higher ups in the Myanmar Government would not have issued such a directive or order without consulting the higher ups of the Government of India.

That the State Government was by passed or not consulted at all in the decision to set up the temporary army base camp at Holenphai village under Moreh sub-division adjacent to border pillar number 76 should be clear from the manner in which the district administration of Chandel reacted to the moves initiated by the Government of Myanmar.

The Myanmarese Government of course is not answerable to the people of India or Manipur to be specific, but the Government of India or to be more specific the Union Home Ministry is answerable to the people of Manipur.

And here is the poser.

Did the 'higher ups' of the Government of Myanmar discuss the matter with the 'higher ups' of the Government of India ?

This is not an appeal, but a demand to know the truth. Mark this in red.

A corrigendum is in line here. In the first paragraph of the story carried in this newspaper, the term 'disputed' was used to refer to Holenphai village which is under Moreh sub-division.

Just because Myanmar may claim that it is their territory, it cannot be called disputed for claims can be made. This is to set the record straight.

How the State Government takes up the matter with the Centre or the Union Home Ministry remains to be seen, but one thing should be clear.

The Ibobi Singh Government should talk from a position of strength. Not the time to grovel at the feet of Delhi.

For all that matter, Delhi may not blink an eye if some territories of Manipur are ceded to Myanmar, in pursuit of its Look East Policy, the dividends of which may not necessarily be reaped by the people of Manipur.

Making things all that more dicey was the tall claim of the CO of Myanmar's 87 Light Infantry that the matter, that is setting up the temporary base camp at Holenphai, was intimated to the CO of 9 Assam Rifles at Moreh a month back.

This however seems to be a lie, as the Assam Rifles authorities, on being probed by The Sangai Express have officially denied receiving such intimation from the Myanmarese side. This is not the time to beat around the bush.

The course of action taken up by the Myanmar Army, ostensibly at the directives of the 'higher ups' is not a matter to be taken lightly.

The State Government should pull no punches in making its stand clear on the matter.

Its position should be laid down in clear cut terms to Delhi.

After all it is hard to believe that the 'higher ups' of the Myanmar Government would have had the gumption to direct its army to set up the base camp without consulting the 'higher ups' of the Government of India.

The stand that Manipur should not be by passed on the border issue, should be stated in black and white. No room for grey areas here.