Homeland Security

Small Arms Proliferation in the Northeast: The Chinese Connection - II
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Issue Courtesy: Aakrosh | Date : 28 Jun , 2011

India is already investing in infrastructure in Myanmar, the policy could well be expanded to include Sagaing and Kachin, which are adjacent to the Northeast and have a direct bearing on small arms proliferation

Over the next decade, thousands of these weapons were stolen and resold abroad, including to governments and insurgent groups in several war zones.29 Therefore, government weapons stockpiles must be effectively managed and secured. Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programs often help to reduce the illicit trafficking and misuse of weapons in the hands of ex-combatants and armed gangs. In the Northeast, militant groups that have signed accords and ceasefire agreements with the government have never surrendered their entire arsenal but have either sold them to other groups or stacked them for future use.30

The situation in South and Southeast Asia being somewhat different from other war zones, India could make efforts to develop a consensus at SAARC and ASEAN and initiate dialogue with countries of the region affected by small arms. The objective should be to identify deficiencies in national control policies and bring about remedial measures within a stipulated timeframe. China must be pressed to change policies to ensure firm control over ordnance factories and weapons issued to the military and police. Equally important for the Northeast is the situation in and role of the dictatorial regime in Myanmar.

With reports pouring in about the establishment of an arms manufacturing factory by the Wa militants, proliferation would still continue even if the supply routes are choked from China. With Myanmar dictator General Than Shwe cosying up to India, New Delhi must seize the opportunity to drive home the point that curbing transnational crimes like gunrunning would stand to benefit both countries in the long run. Of course the fact remains that unless poverty is reduced in Myanmar and a final settlement is reached with militant outfits (like KIA or UWSA), a change in government policy may not have the desired result.

There is an urgent need to expand the definition of small arms to include grenades. Small arms proliferation is not confined to the Northeast but is reaching mainland India as well.

Since India is already investing in infrastructure in Myanmar, the policy could well be expanded to include Sagaing and Kachin, which are adjacent to the Northeast and have a direct bearing on small arms proliferation. These twin regions are the least developed in Myanmar, with deplorable social and economic infrastructure, which explains the involvement of the local populace in transnational criminal activities. Besides opening up vistas of employment, development of Kachin and Sagaing would also be in sync with India’s Look East Policy to reach out to and establish a bridge with Southeast Asia.

In fact, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio has already taken up the issue with the centre and has made a case for New Delhi’s active involvement in “Eastern Nagaland” (Sagaing), which he described as a “No Man’s Land.” Investments apart, New Delhi must also consider fencing the Indo-Myanmar border on the lines of Indo-Bangla frontier to curb the illegal trades. A review of the free border regime, which allows free movement of people on both sides of the Indo-Myanmar border, must be reviewed and restrictions imposed in the vulnerable zones.

An appropriate number of battalions of the Assam Rifles must be earmarked specifically for border policing, which may necessitate raising additional manpower. Local communities on both sides of the border must be made aware about gunrunning and its concomitant effects and the assistance of credible NGOs taken wherever essential. Above all, the development of border areas must be taken up on a war footing so that alienation is curbed and employment avenues are opened up. To a considerable extent, increase in gunrunning in the Northeast is the direct fallout of decades of negligence of the frontier regions.

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

Rajeev Bhattacharyya is the Chief of bureau of the Northeast with Bengal Post. He was earlier associated with Times Now, the Times of India, the Telegraph and the Indian Express, and was selected for the prestigious Chevening Fellowship for young Indian print journalists, which he completed in the University of Westminster, Harrow, UK.  

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