An American company has been supplying fuel to forces under the control of Myanmar’s military-led State Administration Council (SAC), Indian intelligence agencies have discovered, even as pro-democracy outfits have alleged an Indian role in supplying fuel to the junta soldiers.
Classified information accessed by Northeast News indicate that a cross-section of Indian officials, including representatives from intelligence agencies, paramilitary forces, Military Intelligence, Mizoram police, Excise and Narcotics and Customs, are seized of this unnamed US company.
While the officials are aware that the American company has been “generally” taking “indirect route” to supply fuel to the SAC, they agree that US government organisations’ involvement in supplying “weapons and fuels” to the SAC is “unlikely”. A Myanmar pro-democracy outfit, Justice for Myanmar, has been alleging “Indian collaboration with SAC in supply of fuel and military equipment”, information available with Indian agencies has revealed.
The SAC is headed by General Min Aung Hlaing who seized power in a February 2021 coup d’etat. He subsequently appointed himself Myanmar’s Prime Minister in August that year.
The assessment of Indian security agencies is that the Myanmar Army (MA), despite several military reverses across many parts of the conflict-ridden country, continues to fight the insurgent forces.
The MA, which took to forced conscription in April this year, has been “collecting” names of young men in various “regions, states and townships”.
Indian agencies fear that the MA’s “implementation of conscription” will intensify the “influx” of Myanmar nationals into India and could even push the youth to join the ranks of the insurgent outfits.
In this context, Indian security agency sources said that 87 “conscription-related incidents” have occurred across 20 townships in Hakha, Tedim, and Shan and Rakhine states.
“In Rakhine State, mainly Rohingya have been conscripted following an understanding between the SAC and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA),” a senior official revealed, adding that the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) was strongly opposed to joining the MA.
Indian agencies’ review of the security situation in Myanmar during the January-April 2024 period showed that “clashes and conflicts have intensified in the ethnic regions” with the “MA suffering heavy casualties”.
While officials of one Indian security organisation have found that the rebel Arakan Army has “not committed atrocities” against other ethnic groups in the Rakhine State, the influx of Myanmar nationals into India’s Mizoram was on account of the SAC’s forced conscription drives and “infighting between (the) armed groups”.
However, there is general agreement among Indian security officials posted along the Myanmar-India border that a small number of men – no more than 30 — belonging to the Khumi ethnic group fled to Mizoram after Paletwa, a key port-town in the Chin State, was seized by the Arakan Army.
After establishing control over Paletwa, the Arakan Army’s political wing, United League of Arakan, established administrative command over it.
The influx of refugees from Myanmar continued unabated during January-May 2024. As many as 34,346 refugees have been lodged in 149 relief camps built across 11 districts of Mizoram, latest compilations by Indian border forces show. On May 8, 95 Myanmar nationals crossed over to Mizoram.
Drugs have also made their way into Indian territory. Documents reveal that 12 kg heroin, 50 kg methamphetamine, 11 kg crystal meth and 300 kg cannabis (or ganja) were seized between January and March 2024.
