UKHRUL: India and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), a rebel group in Myanmar, have allegedly signed a secret agreement regarding the extraction of rare earth minerals in Myanmar, according to reports.
As per a report by the Silicon Valley Times, this agreement systematically undermines Myanmar’s sovereignty and constitutes a strategic partnership to mine rare earth minerals in Myanmar.
Based on satellite imagery and cross-border intelligence have confirmed that India is constructing a 365-kilometer-long road from Vijaynagar in Arunachal Pradesh (India), to the rare earth mining site of Chipwi Township, Kachin State (Myanmar).
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Reportedly, this road is being built without the approval of the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) or government and would give India access to Myanmar’s rare earth minerals while the KIA would receive arms, ammunition, and weapons, medicines and other logistical support.
According to the report, the partnership agreement allegedly also includes a secret plan to build a second strategic road extending from the KIA headquarters in Laiza through Sagaing Region to reaching Rihkhawdar town in Chin State.
Funding for the corridor is said to come from the revenues from Myanmar’s illegal logging networks and will allow India to transport rare earth minerals, oil, and timber into India over the long term.
Experts cited in the report said the KIA’s involvement gave India indirect control over Myanmar’s resource-rich areas, while also allowing India to sideline the Myanmar military and reduce its territorial influence
India has been providing the KIA with military assistance, including modern weapons and medical supplies, via Arunachal Pradesh, and has further enhanced the KIA’s capabilities to fight the Myanmar military. In return, the KIA reportedly promised to crack down on anti-India insurgent groups operating along the India–Myanmar border, including the Naga armed group (NSCN-K/YA). and has quietly backed India’s claims over disputed areas in Chin State and the Kabaw Valley, the report claimed.
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A Myanmar government official has condemned the alleged agreement between India and the KIA, calling it a blatant violation of international law, and warned that any unauthorized activities within Myanmar’s border areas would face strong military responses.
The official also stated that Indian entities’ construction of roads and exploitation of natural resources without Myanmar’s consent violate the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter.
“Such actions not only threaten Myanmar’s stability but also risk triggering a regional conflict,” the official added.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy has also denied the reports of the secret rare earth deal with the KIA, terming it false.
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According to a report in the NP News, an official from the Indian Embassy in Myanmar told The Statesman that the report of the secret deal is false. Reportedly, an official from the Myanmar Embassy in India also said the report is “just a fake news report”.
“It is ridiculous to build a road in Kachin when the Kaladan project and the Tripartite road, which are being worked on by the two governments, are not fully functioning yet. It would be a fabricated disinformation campaign designed to damage the good relations between India and Myanmar,” the official was quoted as saying.
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