Elephants hold a special place in the hearts of Southeast Asians. And if it's a white elephant, it becomes a matter of hope and good fortune.
The fundamental construct of India's neighbourhood policy still needs to be what Vajpayee postulated, Manmohan Singh embraced, and Modi energised. It's just that we need to junk domestic politics and excessive religiosity, while acquiring much humility and a renewed respectfulness towards our neighbours, recommends Shekhar Gupta.
Cooperation in security, energy, connectivity and agriculture will top Singh's agenda of talks with Myanmar's quasi-civilian government headed by President U Thein Sein in Nay Pyi Taw on Monday and the two countries are expected to sign a number of agreements in these areas during the visit, the first by an Indian premier in quarter of a century.
The high point of the President's visit was the signing of three important agreements in natural gas, satellite-based remote sensing and promotion of Buddhist studies.
The agreements were reached during the 11th round of Home Secretary level talks between the two countries in Yangon.
'I talked to many voters and most of them said they had voted for Suu Kyi. One could see the enthusiasm,' says Deepak Obhrai, head of the four-member Canadian observer team that monitored the Myanmar elections.
The appointment of veteran diplomat Derek Mitchell, who was till now the Special US Representative and Policy Coordinator for Myanmar, was confirmed by the Senate on Friday and he is expected to leave for that country soon.
At the delegation-level talks between the two sides, which followed a brief one-to-one meeting between Ansari and Gen Aye, the Myanmarese side acknowledged India's security concerns but conveyed that the insurgents would not be permitted to use its territory to target India, they said.
At least three BSF personnel sustained bullet injuries after gunmen fired at security forces in Manipur's Thoubal district, police said on Thursday.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a suspected terrorist for his alleged links with Myanmar-based rebel groups and conspiring to wage war against India by exploiting the current ethnic unrest in Manipur, an official said.
Without the full participation of the democratic opposition and ethnic minority groups, the National Convention lacks the legitimacy necessary to draft a constitution, the State Department said.
The project, the agreement for which was signed way back in 2009, had been gaining strategic relevance over the years as India-China ties took a hit.
Three gem pits at the mine in Mongshu collapsed on July 3, trapping miners and destroying several buildings, gem industry sources said. Northern Myanmar is a world-famous gem-producing region, most notably for rubies.
While the India-Myanmar gas pipeline continues to hang fire, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation may push for a gas-based power project in Myanmar to bring power to the power-starved north-eastern states
As Myanmar sets out on a new path after decades of military rule, India on Monday promised whole-hearted support to it in "every step" of its journey as the two countries resolved to deepen ties and actively cooperate to combat terrorism and insurgent activities in the region.
Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee with Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Nyan Win. Win is in India to enhance bilateral ties, particularly in trade and energy fields. He also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
A top United Liberation Front of Asom leader along with an Indian journalist and a photographer was detained in Myanmar but the two mediapersons were later released.
Come September, and China will begin to lay parallel oil and natural gas pipelines from the Kyaukpyu deep-sea port on Myanmar's Arakan coast in the Bay of Bengal, all the way up north-east to Kunming in China's Yunnan province.
The Indian football team suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Myanmar in its last league match of the qualifying event of the AFC Challenge Cup in Yangon on Wednesday.
From India's neighbourhood and extended neighbourhood, presidents of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Iran, Seychelles and prime ministers of Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Mauritius have sent congratulatory greetings to Modi.
United States President Barack Obama said on Friday that Hillary Clinton would travel to Myanmar, the first trip to the country by a US secretary of state for 50 years, to hold talks with the government and the pro-democracy leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi, a day after the American president held a first-ever conversation with the freedom icon.
After launching the Nano early this week, the country's leading truck and bus maker, Tata Motors, is now looking to set up a truck manufacturing plant in Myanmar with support from the Indian government in the form of financial participation.
The first 'Made In India' exhibition, showcasing the country's modern products and technologies, opened in the Myanmar capital on Thursday.
Singapore Airlines on Wednesday said it is fully cooperating with relevant authorities in the investigation into the London to Singapore flight which encountered severe turbulence, leading to the death of one passenger and injuring 30 others.
Those advocating a similar raid in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, for instance, need to have a reality check on the applicability of the same template on other borders, says Nitin Gokhale.
A report by ABC News has stated that the comments follow reports that Indian authorities warned Myanmar 48 hours before Nargis hit landfall and that many people in Myanmar learnt of the approaching cyclone from international media. Available information could have been used to warn against the likelihood of a major storm surge, according to Sharp and Melbourne-based CSIRO storm surge expert Dr Katherine McInnes.
US President Barack Obama's proposed visit will be coming less than a month after a new spell of violence between the native Buddhists of the Rakhine State and the Rohingya Muslims, points out B Raman
India's largest auto maker Tata Motors on Tuesday said it will set up in Myanmar a heavy truck manufacturing facility with a capacity of 1,500 units per annum.
It's obvious to all that the Congress is overestimating its success and the BJP is underestimating the people's message delivered through the ballot box, notes Sheela Bhatt.
Illegal weapons proliferation through the porous India-Myanmar border in the north-east has been a boon for the Maoists operating in the rest of the country. It has been disclosed by the Bharatiya Janata Party's national security cell convenor P Chandrasekhar following his situation review meeting with convenors of state BJP security cells in the north-east.
Stepping up defence cooperation, India and the US are poised to unveil a roadmap for industries in the sector to partner closely in co-production, co-development and maintaining supply change during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US beginning June 21.
India may have lost the ODI World Cup final to Australia but have increased their lead over them from three to six points, leading the table with 122 points.
Aung San Suu Kyi may be freed soon, hope party activists.
'It is in the interest of China and Pakistan to give a bad name to the Indian Army and remove AFSPA 'completely' from the north east.' 'Hopefully, better sense will prevail and the ground realities of the army countering insurgency in the north east acknowledged,' asserts Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
Asked to comment on happenings in Myanmar, the new army chief said Indian armed forces had good relations with the armed forces of that country and "we are for maintaining these close relationships".
United Nations and private aid agencies went into high gear to provide humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands victims of a devastating cyclone in Myanmar as the military government there gave green signal to the world body to send emergency aid. It was yet unclear how the aid would be sent and whether UN will also distribute assistance sent by Non Governmental Organisations in the country where large areas are without electricity, fuel, food and drinking water.
India has agreed to increase cooperation in energy and transport with Myanmar, where India is keen to counter growing influence from China.\n\n
