THINKING OF DEFENCE
THINK OF NIMBUS
Comprehensive Programs for all Defence Exams
India Myanmar Border Management
- Smart Border Fencing Implementation:
- Initiation: Central government orders for Smart Border Fencing along an additional 300 km.
- Trigger: Ethnic conflicts in Manipur (May 2023), leading to over 100 deaths and displacement.
- Progress: Pilot project completion (10 km), additional orders for 80 km, total Smart Border Fencing covering 390 km.
- Border Overview Data:
- Total Border Length: India and Myanmar share a land border of 1,643 km.
- Demarcation Completion: 1,472 km as per Home Ministry’s 2022-23 annual report.
- Strategic Importance: Myanmar acts as a gateway to Southeast Asia.
- Infrastructure Projects Data:
- Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport: Links Kolkata to Sittwe in Myanmar and connects to India’s northeast.
- Asian Trilateral Highway: Joint project with Myanmar and Thailand, boosting trade in ASEAN-India Free Trade Area.
- Smart Border Fencing Data:
- About Smart Fence Project:
- A technological advancement combining physical barriers, sensors, cameras, and communication systems.
- Effective monitoring and response to border threats.
- Devices Used:
- Sensors include thermal imagers, underground sensors, fiber optical sensors, radar, and sonar.
- Mounted on platforms like aerostat, tower, and poles for round-the-clock surveillance in various weather conditions.
- Other Projects:
- India-Pakistan Border: Smart fence pilot project (2018).
- India-Bangladesh Border: BOLD-QIT project (2019).
- Border Management Challenges Data:
- Illegal Immigrants:
- UNHCR estimates 22,000 refugees entered India from Myanmar since February 2021.
- Demographic imbalance and law and order disturbances due to illegal migration.
- Drug Abuse from Golden Triangle:
- Myanmar part of Golden Triangle, the second-largest opium production region globally.
- Flow of drugs facilitated by the porous border.
- Interlinkage Between Drug Traffickers and Insurgent Groups:
- 500 cases registered, 625 individuals arrested under NDPS Act in Manipur (2022).
- Drug trade financing insurgent groups in Northeast.
- Human Trafficking Data:
- Exploitation Factors:
- Instability, turmoil, and internal power struggles in Myanmar.
- More than 400 Indian men stuck in fraudulent IT jobs in Myanmar.
- Children used as couriers for transporting illegal substances.
- Free Movement Regime (FMR) Data:
- Initiation and Resurgence:
- Initiated in 1970, resurgence in 2016 as part of Act East Policy.
- Allows individuals within a 16 km radius to traverse freely without visas.
- Border pass issued by competent authority valid for one year.
- Border Management Interventions Data:
- Government Schemes:
- Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) Scheme.
- Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS).
- Border Area Development Programme (BADP).
- Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP).
- Way Forward Data:
- Round the Clock Border Guarding:
- Deployment of a regular Border Guarding force for continuous vigilance.
- Border Infrastructure Creation:
- Creation of composite Border Observation Posts (BOPs), Border Road, and Obstacle System.
- Separation of Patrolling and Security Functions:
- Proposal to separate patrolling and security functions, deploying dedicated forces.
- Strengthening Legal Frameworks:
- Improved coordination between India and Myanmar’s law enforcement agencies.
- Rehabilitation:
- Alongside rescue efforts, psychological evaluation, and treatment for victims.
- Increased Collaboration:
- Enhanced collaboration between border control agencies through direct communication channels.
- Awareness Creation:
- Border guarding forces promoting a sense of security among the border population.
- Bilateral Institutional Mechanisms:
- Periodic revision of institutional mechanisms with Myanmar to adapt to changing dynamics.