New Delhi: In an effort to curb cross border
illegal activities, India and Myanmar have ratified the Mutual
Legal Assistance Treaty on criminal matters.
Union Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai and Myanmar Deputy
Minister for Home Affairs U Phone Swe signed the Protocol of
Exchange for the treaty at the conclusion of the 16th Home
Secretary-level meeting between India and Myanmar here last
night.
Action against insurgent groups along the international
border, strengthening of intelligence sharing mechanism, arms
smuggling and drugs trafficking were discussed during the
talks.
The meeting discussed the concern on activities of Indian
insurgent groups operating along Indo-Myanmar border and the
ways to deal with them.
Sources said India sought cooperation from Myanmar on the
issue.
Issues relating to border management and border trade were
also discussed in the meeting.
A proposal to set up an institute to impart Myanmarese and
English language skills to soldiers of the two countries was
also discussed threadbare.
According to the proposal, Indian security forces guarding
the Indo-Myanmar border would be taught Myanmarese while
Myanmarese soldiers would be taught English to remove the
language problem and better coordination at the ground level.
India and Myanmar share a 1,643-km border.
PTI
First Published: Friday, December 31, 2010, 14:50