New Delhi, December 22: Myanmar Government has given assurance that it would not allow "negative elements" to use its territory for carrying out hostile activities against India as the two countries agreed to cooperate on security issues, drug trafficking and border management.

This was decided at a meeting here yesterday between Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and his visiting Myanmarese counterpart Major General Maung Oo.

The Home Minister of Myanmar came to India along with a four-member delegation on the invitation of Shivraj Patil.

Union Home Minister of India assured the visiting dignitaries of all possible assistance in the field of training and capacity building of the Myanmar Home Ministry officials.

The DD News today said the meeting assumed significance as it came in the wake of reports that the Lashker-e-Taiba was trying to set up base in Manipur, which borders Myanmar, and demands from security agencies for a crackdown on training camps of north eastern rebel groups.

Three Manipuri youths suspected to be LeT cadres were arrested in New Delhi on Tuesday and the security establishment believed LeT operatives had been using Myanmarese soil to train cadres.

Union Home Ministry officials were tight-lipped on whether Patil demanded an operation by Myanmar to flush out rebels as had been done by Bhutan against the ULFA in 2003, and an official release said both sides assured full cooperation with each other on the issues of mutual interest including security, drug trafficking and effective border management, it added.

The sourses said the visit of Major General Maung Oo provided a renewed impetus for widening and deepening of the India-Myanmar ties.

Myanmar Home Minister also extended invitation to Shivraj Patil on his behalf and on behalf of the head of the Government of Union of Myanmar to visit Myanmar at his earliest convenience.

Mention may be made that the Indian Government is exploring to have freight corridor connecting India with Myanmar and passing through China and going right upto Russia.

In a recent interview with the Indian Express, the Indian Railways Board Chairman Jay Prakash Batra, who was recently elected as the Chairman of Paris-based International Union of Railways said, " The India Government is pursuing the setting up of a rail corridor between India and Myanmar which will give us access to South East Asia and also to China and Russia." He said, "A 350 km long distance needs to be bridged to connect India with Myanmar.

Out of this, roughly 150 kms are on Indian side.

Deliberations are on between both governments over this link.

Since Myanmar is getting a rail link with China, to be completed in around 3 years, a link with Myanmar could help India to reach China and then upto Russia".

India had done a feasibility study on the India-Myanmar rail link.

The study recommended the construction of a rail link between Tamu, Kalay and Segyi at the cost of Rs 1339.02 crore and rehabilitation of an existing line from Segyi to Chaungu Myohaung at a cost of Rs 283.959 crore on the Myanmar side and the construction of a link between Jiribam, Imphal and Moreh on the Indian side at a cost of Rs 2941.08 crore.

Batra further stated that since India had already connectivity with Pakistan on the western side.

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