New Delhi, October 14: India and Myanmar today agreed to further strengthen cooperation in tackling activities of insurgents, drug traffickers and other hostile elements along their borders with Yangon giving the assurance that it would severely punish arms smugglers.

Decisions on these issues were reached at the 11th round of Home Secretary level talks between the two countries in Yangon.

On India's request, the Myanmarese side agreed to look into the issue of release of five Indian nationals who were arrested by its army in June this year, a Home Ministry spokesman said.

While the Indian delegation was led by Union Home Secretary VK Duggal, the Myanmarese side was headed by Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Brig-Gen Phone Swe.

During the talks, the Myanmarese side requested for sympathetic consideration to their fishermen who crossed the maritime-boundary inadvertently.

To this, Duggal suggested that a working group at the level of the two foreign offices, and including representatives from their security forces, could examine the steps needed to evolve a mechanism so that innocent fishermen from both sides who drifted inadvertently into the territorial waters of the other side might not be put to undue hardships.

�All efforts will be made to ensure that the report of this working group is available before the next meeting� of the Home Secretaries, the spokesman said here without elaborating.

He said issues relating to security, drug-trafficking, border trade, border management and proposed infrastructure projects in Myanmar were discussed.

�Both sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation in tackling the activities of insurgents, arms smugglers, drug traffickers and other hostile elements along the India-Myanmar border,� he said.

The status of various infrastructure project in Myanmar, particularly in road and power sectors, which the two countries have agreed to cooperate, was also reviewed at the meeting.

�It was agreed that, when completed, these projects would help in economic development of the border areas and would also promote greater movement and interaction of people across the border,� the spokesman said.

Myanmar Home Minister Maj Gen Maung Oo, who had a meeting with members of the Indian team, assured Duggal that arms smugglers would be severely punished if caught on Myanmar soil.

The two sides also agreed to further strengthen cooperation especially in curbing drug trafficking, the spokesman said adding the discussion were held in a very warm and cordial atmosphere.

Duggal suggested that in future issues likely to be discussed at such national level meetings should be exchanged between the two sides at least three months in advance so that the talks could be more specific and fruitful.

Both sides were of the view that these deliberations would help in further strengthening friendly relations between the two neighbours.

Comment