Indian envoy visits Myanmar's Sittwe as Arakan Army advances in Rakhine
Guwahati: Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Abhay Thakur visited Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar's conflict-hit Rakhine State, last week and inspected the Sittwe Port, a key component of the stalled Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP).
According to a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Yangon, the ambassador also met Rakhine State Chief Minister U Naing Oo and visited the office of the Consulate General of India in Sittwe.
The visit comes after understandings reached during Myanmar junta chief turned president, Min Aung Hlaing's recent trip to India, when both sides agreed to revive cooperation to complete the long-delayed Kaladan project.
While construction of the Sittwe Port and a river terminal in Paletwa township in Chin State has been completed, work on the crucial 109-km road linking Paletwa to the Indian border remains stalled because of armed conflict, instability and logistical challenges.
Much of the Kaladan project area, including Paletwa and the Rakhine townships of Pauktaw, Ponnagyun and Kyauktaw, is under the control of the Arakan Army (AA). The ethnic armed organisation has captured 14 of Rakhine State's 17 townships and is continuing its offensive towards Sittwe and Kyaukphyu, home to several Chinese-backed infrastructure projects.
Sittwe, where the Indian-backed port is located, remains under the control of Myanmar's military government.