Border trade hit as Myanmar closes gate

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
04-September, 2017 17:24 IST
India despatches First Diesel Consignment to Myanmar

Symbolising the growing hydrocarbon engagement between India and Myanmar, the first consignment of 30 MT of High Speed Diesel was sent today from India to Myanmar by land route. Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. (NRL), which has been supplying HSD to Bangladesh, despatched the first diesel consignment through NH 37 across the Moreh Custom Check Point on the Indian side and Tamu Custom Check Point on the Myanmar side.

Supply of diesel consignment to Myanmar is another step in realizing the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to enhance hydrocarbon synergy with neighbouring countries as well as promoting India’s Act East Policy. NRL has entered into an agreement with Parami Energy Group of Companies for the supply of diesel and collaboration in the retail petroleum sector of Myanmar. NRL refinery, situated at 420 km from the India-Myanmar border, is ideally suited to supply diesel to Northern Myanmar where connectivity is a challenge, particularly in the rainy season.

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan visited Myanmar in February this year during which he discussed opportunities for collaboration in the oil and gas sector including setting up of LNG terminal, retail marketing, refurbishment of refineries, participation in upstream sector and capacity building. ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL), GAIL India Ltd. and Oil India Ltd. have assets in the upstream sector as well as pipelines. In their effort to strengthen the oil and gas engagement, more Indian companies are planning to set up their offices in Myanmar soon. OVL has an office in Yangon.

NRL has already exported 1700 MT of Paraffin wax to Myanmar. It was a special privilege for India to contribute hand made wax candles to the 2500 year old Shwedagon Pagoda earlier this year.

the Shwedagon Pagoda was constructed more than 2,600 years ago, which would make it the oldest Buddhist stupa in the world. According to tradition, Taphussa and Bhallika — two merchant brothers from the north of Singuttara Hill what is currently Yangon met the Lord Gautama Buddha during his lifetime and received eight of the Buddha's hairs.

 

[AHMED85]

Kill Him

God Will Happy

 

[Hindustani78]

New Delhi, October 01, 2017 12:22 IST
Updated: October 01, 2017 12:22 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...-bangladesh/article19780635.ece?homepage=true

India shares a 4,096-km-long border with Bangladesh which touches Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and West Bengal.

India has opened two immigration check posts along the borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, official notifications said.

In a gazette notification, the home ministry said the central government has designated Zorinpui land check post in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram as an authorised immigration check post for entry into or exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of passengers to or from Myanmar.

In a separate notification, the ministry said the central government designated Kawrpuichhuah land check post in Lunglei district of Mizoram as an authorised immigration check post for entry into or exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of passengers to or from Bangladesh.

Zorinpui was selected for a new land custom station along the Indo-Myanmar border in Mizoram for the Kaladan multi-modal project. The remote Zorinpui is 287 km away from Sittwe Port in Myanmar. An agreement on Zorinpui was included in the joint statement issued during the visit of the then prime minister Manmohan Singh to Myanmar in May, 2012. Kawarpuchiah is situated in Mizoram along a riverine border with Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Myanmar for two days from September 5, the first bilateral visit to the neighbouring country. India shares a 1,643-km-long border with Myanmar which touches Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.

India shares a 4,096-km-long border with Bangladesh which touches Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and West Bengal.

 

[Hindustani78]

India’s border trade with Myanmar stagnates at $50 million as China’s hits $6 billion

India’s border trade with Myanmar takes place mainly through Moreh, in Manipur’s Chandel district, which links with Tamu, located in Sagaing in northwest Myanmar.

Updated: Dec 22, 2017 14:15 IST
Indo Asian News Service, New Delhi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...s-6-billion/story-r6agQjivrJe8cOpSSPENnM.html


As India prepares to celebrate the silver jubilee of its partnership with ASEAN in a big way, a key border trade link with Myanmar, the closest neighbour of the vibrant Southeast Asian bloc, continues to be hobbled by infrastructure and other issues -- 22 years after it was launched.

India’s border trade with Myanmar takes place mainly through Moreh, in Manipur’s Chandel district, which links with Tamu, located in Sagaing in northwest Myanmar. There is another border trade point through Zowkhathar in Mizoram with the corresponding point Rhi in Myanmar, but Moreh is the biggest border trade point.

Though India and Myanmar signed the border trade agreement on January 21, 1994, and it was made operational the following year, the bilateral border trade figure stands at $50 million -- a poor comparison to Myanmar’s trade with China, which was around $6 billion last year.

Myanmar has four border trading points with China, of which the one at Muse, in northern Shan state, is the biggest. Around 80% of Myanmar’s formal overland trade with China passes through this post that links with Ruili, in China’s Yunnan province.

While China has pumped in massive amounts of money to build modern infrastructure at Ruili and also in Yunnan province to boost connectivity with Myanmar, the infrastructure at the India-Myanmar border post, Moreh, is still inadequate. An Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Moreh has been in the works for the past 10 years and is yet to be completed.

Besides the difficult terrain and militancy that adversely affect border trade at Moreh-Tamu, India in December 2015 officially put an end to the barter system, or trading of goods without exchange of money. According to Myanmarese media reports, the ending of barter trade “killed” India-Myanmar border trade.

Professor Priyoranjan Singh, an economist at Manipur University, says that since the Government of India notification ending barter trade, “the present state is that formal trade, or normal official trade, stands at zero, and informal, or illegal trade -- or head load trade -- is going on”.

He told IANS that there was a “huge information gap” between the two sides, including among the traders. “Our own Indian customs agency does not know the customs duty that Myanmar imposes on Indian goods,” he said.

Singh, who has expertise in the field, feels that “seriousness is not there” in India on boosting border trade, while China exhibits “huge seriousness, which is something Myanmar likes”.

Gautam Mukhopadhyay, former Indian envoy to Myanmar, says there are reasons for China’s border trade with Myanmar being more robust than India.

“First, Yunnan is a much better connected and more productive gateway from China to Myanmar than the Northeast of India to Myanmar. Secondly, for any Northeastern state of India to match China in cross-border trade, the region has to become a net producer than consumer, and better connected to the main productive regions of India,” Mukhopadhyay said.

He said efforts were being made in that direction. “But it will take some time and better coordination between our development, commercial and strategic policies for us to match China.”

He said the government has tried to address the issue of low volumes by liberalising cross-border trade and moving to the Most Favoured Nation trade status, but there was a “need for a reliable system to determine countries of origin of goods”. A lot of goods from China are available in the markets in the region.

Economist Ram Upendra Das, head of the Centre for Regional Trade, an autonomous institute under the Commerce Ministry, in his report on ‘Enhancing India-Myanmar border trade’ released last year by the ministry, says: “A major cause of discontent among local traders is that the pace of construction of Moreh ICP is very slow.”

Das told IANS that “it is very important that border trade is conducted through formal channels”, which would help increase the volume as India has slashed the tariff in a majority of items to zero, which means no border tax.

“There is an information gap and lack of understanding among the traders” on the benefits of conducting trade through the formal channel, he said. Informal trade would also give rise to corruption, in the form of levy imposed by militant groups and bribes, he added.

On China developing the infrastructure in Myanmar, Mukhopadhyay says: “China has made huge investments into power and extractive industries for its own interests, but very little into employment-intensive industries that really benefit Myanmar. China has been able to convert its more selfish investments into greater political clout than India. This is something we need to think about.”

 

[Hindustani78]

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...fire-breaks-out-in-namphalong-market-5055801/

The Indo-Myanmar border was sealed on Thursday after a major fire broke out late last night just across the international gate in Myanmar.

Police in Moreh in Manipur said that the fire broke out at the Namphalong market around 9 p.m. The market complex has been indefinitely closed down, a district official said.

People rushed out and sprinkled water on their houses and shops fearing the raging inferno might spread over to the Indian side.

Namphalong is the main market for the legalised border trade. It took several hours to douse the flames.

However, no casualty has been reported. Over 30 shops and business establishments were gutted, Namphalong officials said.

The shops mostly stockpile expensive foreign goods brought from China, Japan and some other Southeast Asian countries. The loss was believed to be huge.

The cause of the fire was not yet known.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...-with-india/article22925706.ece?homepage=true

India keen on signing agreement to streamline free movement along border.

Myanmar has indefinitely deferred signing an agreement with India to streamline the free movement of people within 16 km along the border.

India is keen to sign the agreement but Myanmar — citing “domestic compulsions” — has asked more time before the agreement is sealed.

On January 3, the Union Cabinet had approved the agreement between India and Myanmar on land border crossing to enhance economic interaction between people of the two countries.

Border passes
To give it shape, the Centre had asked four States — Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram — that share the unfenced border with Myanmar to distribute “border pass” to all the residents living within 16 km from the border.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been deferred twice in the past seven months.

It was to be signed in September last year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Naypyidaw for a bilateral visit. India tried to again push the agreement in January when Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi was in New Delhi with nine ASEAN leaders as chief guest for the Republic Day parade.

“Myanmar has been dragging its feet on the agreement. They have asked for more time and are reluctant due to domestic compulsions. They fear that if they sign the pact, the international agreement will have to be adhered to,” a senior government official said.

Regulated movement
An official said as per the proposal, there would have been no restrictions on the movement of people across the borders.

The domiciles were to be allotted border passes and those going across for agriculture, work or to meet relatives should carry the pass at all times.

The official said both the countries intend to put a system in place after India raised the issue of movement of extremists and smugglers freely across the border.

Naorem Premkanta Singh, a militant arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), who was part of the group that attacked an army convoy in 2015 in Manipur’s Chandel district killing 18 personnel, has said in his interrogation that they were in India for five days after the attack before crossing over to Myanmar on foot.

He is alleged to have said the ambush party moved together and were able to walk to Myanmar even though an Indian army helicopter hovered above to look for the suspects.

India and Myanmar share a 1,643 km unfenced border along Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km) and permit a ‘free movement’ regime upto 16 km beyond the border.

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...ith-myanmar/story-Ev73cNPxlOOf08jrUYTsNI.html

Union home minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the much awaited Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Moreh, along India-Myanmar border, to boost border management and trade infrastructure on Thursday, coinciding with the first anniversary of Manipur’s maiden Bharatiya Janata Party government.

The ICP opening is part of the ‘inauguration fortnight’ chief minister N Biren Singh announced recently to mark the anniversary. During the fortnight, the government is expected to inaugurate 116 projects across the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also invited to attend the celebration, but his visit it yet to be confirmed.

If the trip materialises, the PM will inaugurate the five-day 105th Indian Science Congress to be held at Manipur University near Imphal on March 16.

Modi is also expected to lay the foundation stone for National Sports University, besides inaugurating other major projects in the state during the visit.

BJP national president Amit Shah is also scheduled to take part in a separate celebration to be organised by the party’s state unit to mark the completion of the BJP-led government’s one year in the state.

Security has been intensified across the state and regular combing operations are being conducted in sensitive and strategic locations to ensure peaceful celebrations.

Search operations were conducted on Sunday in certain pockets of Moreh town, which has been fortified ahead of Singh’s visit.

“We are constantly monitoring the situation and the security in and around the ICP has also been intensified,” said Tengnoupal superintendent of police S Ibomcha.

Located about 110km south of Imphal, Moreh is India’s gateway to South East Asian countries. Manipur shares 398km-long International border with Myanmar.

Construction of the Rs 136-crores ICP project was started more than two decades ago after the operation of Indo-Myanmar border trade to systematise Indo-Myanmarese commercial activities.

According to government figure the border trade with Myanmar increased from $12.80 million in 2010-11 to $71.64 in 2015-16. But bulk of this was informal trade.

Creation of trade infrastructure such as the ICP is expected to increase formal trade.

The border post at Moreh, in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, controls 99% of the border trade with Myanmar.

 

[Hindustani78]

Myanmar nationals with fake Aadhaar cards held in Manipur
GUWAHATI, May 16, 2018 16:10 IST
Updated: May 16, 2018 16:10 IST

A Myanmar man enters Burma along with essential goods through the India-Myanmar friendship road in Moreh a border town in India’s Northeastern state of Manipur bordering Burma’s Tamu town. Picture is for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar

The Manipur police have caught nine Myanmar nationals with fake Aadhaar and voter identity cards.

The arrest of the nine in Manipur’s border town Moreh on Sunday follows that of 24 in Tripura. The 24 were caught at Agartala railway station after getting off a train that arrived from New Delhi on May 10.

Police in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district said a resident was among 10 people caught travelling in two vans with forged documents.

“Inquiry revealed the woman is part of an international human trafficking network. All the nine Myanmarese with fake Aadhaar cards are from Yangon state in Myanmar, and two of them are into trafficking,” S. Ibomcha, Tengnoupal district’s superintendent of police, told reporters.

The police also tracked down two Moreh-based traders — one into software and the other into online ticketing — who had forged the nine Aadhaar cards between them.

The police raided the residence and shop of the duo and recovered several Aadhaar cards, biometric finger scan machine, laminating machine, laptops and printers besides other “incriminating documents”.

The online ticketing agent had procured train tickets for the 10 arrested people to Chennai from Dimapur in Nagaland.

Referring to the arrest of the nine Myanmar nationals, Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh on Tuesday evening said the possibility of foreigners moving around with fake Aadhaar was a serious issue.

“We perhaps need to verify all Aadhaar cards, as we have a small population and such illegal migration raises serious issues,” Mr. Singh said.

He mooted the idea of checking the credentials of passengers arriving at Imphal’s Tulihal Airport.

 

[Hindustani78]

26-October, 2018 17:25 IST
Shri Nitin Gadkari discusses Progress of India – Myanmar Transport Connectivity Projects with his Myanmar Counterpart Mr U Thant Sin Maung


The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation held a meeting with the Myanmar Minister for Communication and Transport Mr U Thant Sin Maung in New Delhi today to discuss the progress of the ongoing India – Myanmar Transport Connectivity Projects. The two sides discussed the status of the project for upgradation of the Kalewa-Yagyi stretch of the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway, starting Imphal-Mandalay bus service and a bilateral Motor Vehicles Agreement between the two countries.

The upgradation of the Kalewa-Yagyi stretch of IMT is being executed by National Highways Authority of India. NHAI informed that the project is running well within time and they hope to complete it before the scheduled date of completion.

The two sides also expressed keenness to start the Imphal-Mandalay bus service soon. India and Myanmar had operationalized the Land Border Crossing Agreement earlier this year. The agreement allows nationals from the two countries holding valid passport and visa to cross over without requiring special permission. Now both countries have to select bus operators to run the service. Once the service starts, bus from India will take passengers to Myanmar border where they will transfer to the bus run by Myanmar operator for travelling further into Myanmar. Likewise, India bound Myanmar nationals will transfer into bus run by Indian operator for further travel into India.

Both countries expressed their eagerness to further carry forward the process of connectivity by signing a bilateral Motor Vehicles Agreement for seamless movement of cargo and passenger movement. The draft agreement is under discussion and the two sides are keen to finalize it soon.

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The Union Home Secretary, Shri Rajiv Gauba and the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs of Republic of Myanmar, Maj. Gen. Aung Thu signing the Agreed Minutes between India and Myanmar after National Level Talks, in New Delhi on October 25, 2018.

The Union Home Secretary, Shri Rajiv Gauba and the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs of Republic of Myanmar, Maj. Gen. Aung Thu exchanging the signed documents of the Agreed Minutes between India and Myanmar after National Level Talks, in New Delhi on October 25, 2018.