KALADAN NEWS

JANUARY 20, 2003

Myanmar FM visits India to talk economic ties

Chittagong, January 20: Myanmar Foreign Minister U Win

Maung arrives in New Delhi today on a six-day visit to

deepen the economic content in relations with India;

Bangladesh could be left behind to reap the benefit

from developmental spin-offs in infrastructure and

energy sectors according to the Daily Star.

Cooperation in building of roads, a port in Myanmar

and a gas pipeline will be high on the agenda of U Win

during his talks with the Indian leadership. India has

proposed construction of two roads from Mizoram to

Myanmar's Chin area in order to provide easier and

cheaper transportation from mainland India to other

Northeastern Indian states, the newspaper further

said.

Myanmar, say officials, is keen on the road

construction proposal in view of the revenue to be

generated from transit trade. This, they point out,

will also take care of Bangladesh's reluctance to give

transit facility to India, the Daily Star further

added.

India has already built a road connecting Moreh (in

Indian state of Manipur) and Kalemyo (in Myanmar) for

border trade, which has picked up in recent months.

During U Win's talks with Indian leaders, the two

sides will discuss the progress in a multi-modal

transport project over the Kalandan River that flows

through Mizoram and Myanmar before falling into the

Bay of Bengal.

The project seeks to tone up the port facility at the

confluence of Kaladan and Bay of Bengal at Sittwe and

will benefit transportation of goods from ports in

Kolkata and other parts of India to northeastern

Indian states, the Daily Star said.

India, Myanmar and Thailand are already in the task of

building a road connecting northeastern India and

Thailand.

The development of road links between India and

Myanmar assume importance in view of the stalemate in

proposal for transit through Bangladesh.

A plan is also on the drawing board to build a gas

pipeline along the Kaladan River to India and

officials of India and Myanmar have already done the

preliminary surveys for this.

India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation

and Gas Authority of India Limited, along with South

Korean company Daewoo International, are likely to

search for energy in Myanmar's Rakhine province.

American energy major UNOCAL proposes an energy grid

connecting Myanmar, northeastern and eastern parts of

India, the paper said.

The two Indian oil majors have decided to pick up

stakes in energy exploration inRakhine.Once gas

pipeline between Myanmar and India materializes, it

will reduce India's dependence on possible gas export

from Bangladesh.

With the existing and proposed infrastructure and

energy cooperation projects between India and Myanmar,

Yangon is expected to play a more influential economic

role in the region and further smoothen India's access

to south East Asia, analysts here say.

In recent months, India and Myanmar have also

strengthened their diplomatic presence in each other's

territories. New Delhi has opened a consulate in

Mandalay in Arakan of Myanmar and Yangon has set up

one in Kolkata. As part of his India visit, the

Myanmar Foreign Minister will also visit Hyderabad,

one of India's information technology hubs, and

Kolkata, said in the paper.

Editor

Kaladan Press Network