Myanmar military chief meets Indian Navy admiral in first overseas engagement

By NE NOW NEWS

Guwahati: Myanmar’s new military chief General Ye Win Oo held talks with Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi on Monday, marking his first meeting with a foreign military leader since assuming office on March 30.

According to Myanmar's state-affiliated media reports, the two sides discussed joint military exercises, cooperation to counter armed groups operating along the border, maritime trade, and avenues to strengthen bilateral defence ties through training programmes as well as cultural and sports exchanges.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of continued military operations in Myanmar, with the armed forces carrying out aerial strikes on resistance-held areas, including Chin State and Sagaing Region along the Indo-Myanmar border.

The Myanmar military recently recaptured Falam in Chin State with air support in late April, and Mawlu in northern Sagaing earlier this week, a day after the Naypyitaw meeting.

Armed Indian insurgent groups, including the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), have been reported to operate in parts of the Sagaing region along the border. Indian security forces had earlier carried out drone strikes in July last year targeting ULFA-I camps in Myanmar’s Nanyun and Lahe townships.

The ULFA-I has been waging an armed campaign for a sovereign Assam for decades.

The engagement also comes amid broader security concerns along the border, with reports of cross-border movement involving armed actors and foreign nationals in recent years.

India has maintained steady defence engagement with Myanmar’s military establishment since the 2021 coup, including training cooperation, border coordination and limited defence supplies. New Delhi has also assisted in the repatriation of Myanmar soldiers who crossed into Indian territory during clashes with resistance groups.

Admiral Tripathi’s visit coincided with the arrival of Indian naval vessels in Yangon carrying over 500 personnel on a goodwill mission.

He was accompanied at the meeting by Chief of General Staff (Army, Navy and Air) Lt Gen Ko Ko Oo, who previously served in operational command roles in Chin and Sagaing regions and had earlier led a delegation to India for defence talks.

India and Myanmar maintain regular defence engagements, including joint naval exercises, coordinated patrols and hydrographic surveys. Their cooperation is governed by agreements such as a 2017 maritime security MoU and a 2019 defence pact.

India shares a 1,643-km land border with Myanmar across Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, in addition to a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal.