The Cost of Development

GUWAHATI, India—Ignoring continuing international pressure to enact strong economic sanctions on the repressive military junta of Burma (also known as Myanmar), India is gearing up to sign a deal to construct a port on Burma's coast intended to boost the economy of India's unstable northeast, where a secessionist movement has inspired several insurgents to declare a civil war against New Delhi.

On April 4, New Delhi welcomes the second in command of Burma's junta, vice senior General Maung Aye, who visits to discuss energy, security, and economic issues and to sign a final agreement on the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transport Project.

The project involves the development of the Sittwe Sea Port in the Bay of Bengal, about 250 kilometers from the state of Mizoram which borders Chin province on the northwestern coast of Burma. If completed, the port would open up India's landlocked northeast through a transit and trade route to southeast Asian countries.

The project, anticipated to be completed in three to four years, involves upgrading the seaport in Sittwe, widening and deepening the Kaladan River that flows from Mizoram, and developing a road to Mizoram's capital, Aizwal.

"The Kaladan Project will include shipping, river, and road transport," said Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh, speaking to media during a recent visit to the region.

"New Delhi wants to connect the northeast with the commercial sea routes. Moreover, with the development of Sittwe Port and the Kaladan River, the region is expected to have another viable access to the southeast Asian counties."

India is reportedly spending more than $100 million for the project; while the junta, though assured free land for the project, has shown reluctance to invest any money. India finally agreed to a soft-loan of $10 million to the Burma for the project.

Political Repercussions

But the signing of the deal will not be without political repercussions, as the international community has been raising its collective voice against the military junta for its poor human rights record and repressive policies against pro-democracy activists.

Public memory remains fresh for many worldwide after thousands of restive monks and other Burmese citizens were subjected to violence by the military in the streets of Rangoon last September. The junta suppressed the movement killing reportedly hundreds.

Burmese exiles have heavily criticized New Delhi for fostering economic ties with the junta. Supporters of the pro-democracy movement in Burma say India should not invest money at this moment in Burma as the money will not improve the economic well-being of Burmese citizens, but instead will benefit only the generals. They unanimously point out that now is not a suitable time to invest in Burma, even if one does not endorse the pro-democracy movement led by the Nobel laureate Suu Kyi.

"It is not the suitable time to do business with Burma," says Kyaw Than, leader of All Burma Students' League (ABSL), a federation of Burmese student organizations in exile.

However, not all political observers view Burma-India relations so simply. Another Burmese exile, Dr. Tayza Thuria, now based in London, says, "India's doing business with Burma and engaging with Burma's de-facto military government is not wrong in itself." But the Indian government needs to be careful to maintain a balanced and ethical approach towards Burma, he says. That means, "while engaging with the Burmese government in business and security affairs, New Delhi must also try to persuade, advise, and guide the junta to make the systematic democratic reforms in due course of time," said Dr. Tayza Thuria.

Dr. Thuria also said that India needs Burma's cooperation and Burma needs India's, regardless of which party is in power in India or which regime is ruling Burma.

"India's Burma friendship is good. Burma and India are neighbors, and since the colonial era, Burmese and Indian national leaders have maintained good relationship and close co-operations," added Dr. Thuria.

Deepak Parvatiyar, a former journalist and now based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, says the mounting pressure on the military rulers of Burma "should be maintained at a diplomatic level but not at the cost of development."

Speaking to this correspondent from the Malaysian capital, he said, "Contribution to development is always welcome, even after taking consideration to the recent happenings in Burma and the continued regressive policies by its military rulers."

'Democratic India'

India, the world's largest democracy, earlier drew criticism from pro-democracy activists after petroleum minister Murli Deora's visit to Burma during September 2007, while the world's media witnessed massive protests against the junta in the country. The Indian minister did not make a single statement about the protests or the junta's violent crackdown.

Mr. Deora's visit witnessed the signing of three agreements between Indian and Burmese oil firms for deep-water exploration of oil blocks. Indian state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) pledged to invest nearly US$150 million for gas exploration on the Rakhaine coast of Burma.

"Nothing revealed better than the Burma visit of Murli Deora to sign a gas deal just when the repression peaked [that] democratic India won't lift its little finger to restrain the Burmese regime," said Soe Myint, a Burmese political activist living in exile.

He continued, "India should hold a special responsibility for Burma. The two countries share a modern legacy that of the Freedom movement, where the Burmese Independence hero Aung Sang was inspired by MK Gandhi and J Nehru."

Thin Thin Aung, a leader of Women's League of Burma, now living in exile in New Delhi, offered similar views. "The people of Burma and India were together culturally, historically and politically," she said.

"We fought the British together. And four states of the northeast are bordering Burma and share associations with many ethnic groups in both the countries. We need to work and act together for lasting peace in the northeast and Burma."

Meanwhile, a recent public meeting in Aizwal resolved to appeal to New Delhi to discontinue all ties with the military junta as "the economic cooperation with them would never benefit the people unless democracy was restored in Burma."

Organized jointly by the Mizoram Committee for Democracy in Burma and the Campaign for Democratic Movement in Burma, the meeting also resolved that New Delhi should work with the UN to find an amicable solution to.

Dr. Tint Swe, a leader of National League for Democracy, was present at the meeting and said that dealing with Burma "would only have a meaning after restoration of democracy" there.

Nava Thakuria is a freelance journalist based in Guwahati, northeast India, whose main interest is in socio-political developments of northeast India and neighboring Bhutan, Burma, and Bangladesh.