Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said India needs to closely monitor the evolving situation in neighbouring Myanmar as China is tightening its grip on the country following the imposition of international sanctions in the wake of the military coup in February.

China’s BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) for constructing roads, railways and energy corridors is bound to get further impetus with the sanctions on Myanmar, General Rawat said at a webinar organized by the Indian Military Review in New Delhi on ‘Opportunities and Challenges in North East India.”

He observed that the return of normalcy in Myanmar would be good for the country as well as the region as a whole, especially India, “as we have deep historical and cultural ties with Myanmar. “

General Rawat said, “India’s northeastern region, which is connected to the rest of the country by the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken Neck, has high geo-strategic importance, especially in the backdrop of China having ‘mischievously’ set its eyes on the region.

The presence of Rohingya refugees is another major emerging concern as the situation can exploited by radical Islamist groups to create unrest in the region, he explained. 

Apart from China, there are many other security concerns for India such as insurgent activity, illegal migration and drug smuggling due to the open borders in the Northeast region, General Rawat added.

Pointing out that the internal security challenges in the Northeast have serious international dimensions, he said, prompt and alert central and state security forces along with international diplomatic-military cooperation will be of great importance.

General Rawat also said that violence levels have come down significantly in recent years due to sustained counter-insurgency operations in the northeastern region and loss of safe havens for extremist groups in neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar.