Asia S-E. India, Myanmar, Cina
Il capo della giunta militare di Myanmar in India per negoziati
● Nella competizione per l’influenza nella regione, l’India rafforza le relazioni economiche e militari stabilite nello scorso decennio con la giunta militare di Myanmar; la visita del suo leader, Than Shwe, a New Delhi sottolinea l’importanza attribuita da Myanmar alle relazioni con l’India.
● L’India, grande importatrice di combustibile, compete con la Cina anche per l’accesso alle ampie risorse di gas di Myanmar.
– Dopo aver appoggiato per anni il movimento democratico birmano di Aung San Suu Kyi, l’India cambiato rotta collegandosi al regime militare, ignorandone la feroce repressione contro l’opposizione.
– New Delhi ha iniziato a lavorare sul corridoi di trasporto attraverso Myanmar, che offrirebbe l’accesso alla baia del Bengala, nella città portuale di Sittwe, ai suoi stati interni del N-E.
Myanmar’s Top Military Leader in India for Talks
Associated Press
– NEW DELHI — India welcomed the head of Myanmar’s isolated military government Tuesday despite international criticism, as New Delhi competes to assert its influence in the region.
– India’s relationship with Myanmar, considered a pariah in some quarters, has taken on new importance because of concerns over insurgencies and drug trafficking along their shared border.
– India is also competing with China for access to the country’s large natural gas resources.
– Myanmar junta chief Than Shwe was to meet India’s senior leaders Tuesday and is expected to sign a series of cooperation agreements to combat the smuggling of arms, drugs and ammunition across their 1,025-mile frontier.
"There are insurgencies on both sides (of the border) and both countries need each other," said G. Parthasarathy, a former Indian ambassador to Myanmar.
– India has also grown wary of China’s influence in Myanmar, and is in competition with its regional rival for access to the country’s large natural gas resources.
– India, a major importer of fuel, has ignored the reclusive junta’s suppression of democracy.
– New Delhi, which has established deep economic and military ties with Myanmar’s generals over the past decade, has said it believed talking quietly is a better approach than sanctions.
– "India has long supported the democratic movement in Myanmar. At the same time, however, it has made clear that isolation is not an option with any neighbor," the Indian Express newspaper said in an editorial.
– Than Shwe is known as a recluse who rarely undertakes diplomatic trips. His visit indicates the importance he places on advancing Myanmar’s ties with India.
The military leader is also known to be highly superstitious, which has led to speculation in Myanmar about the timing of his trip, at the auspicious start of Buddhist Lent. Than Shwe marked the day Monday by visiting Bodh Gaya, the town where Buddha attained enlightenment.
Than Shwe’s visit has been marked by criticism and protests from pro-democracy activists. Scores of activists belonging to the All Burma Monks Alliance and the All Burma Students’ League gathered in a central New Delhi park Tuesday, where they shouted prodemocracy slogans and set fire to posters with the military leader’s picture.
– After many years of supporting the democratic movement in Myanmar led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, India switched tracks and reached out to the military regime.
– New Delhi has begun work on an ambitious transport corridor across Myanmar that would give India’s remote landlocked northeastern states access to the Bay of Bengal through the Myanmar port city of Sittwe. India has also agreed to help restore the renowned Ananda Temple, a noted Buddhist shrine and major tourist attraction, in Myanmar’s central Bagan district.
Last week, the U.S. State Department said it hoped India would press Myanmar over democratic reform, engaging the opposition and other ethnic groups in the country.