Indian, Burmese traders call for end to trade diversions

Subhaschandra M
Mizzima News:  26July, 2006

The Indo-Myanmar Border Traders’ Union has called on the governor of Manipur to stop a central government plan to divert the border trade route from Burma to Moreh through a different state.

Chairman of the IMBTU implementation committee, Yumnamcha Dilipkumar, told Mizzima, “We got the information that the Union Ministry of Commerce is trying to shift the border trade centre from Moreh to some other states, to prevent this we need government’s help”.

The trade point in Moreh was inaugurated on April 12, 1995. The move to shift the Indo-Burmese border trade centre from the city to Champhai in Mizoram state or Pangsha in the state of Nagaland's started during the second India-Burma Joint Trade Committee Meeting in New Delhi from May 12 to 13.

To prevent the diversion, a delegation of border traders, led by president of the Trader’s Union W Nabachandre, submitted a 17-point memorandum to governor Dr S S Sidhu on July 22.

Trade across the border between Burma and India has decreased for the past few years. A member of the trade union said, “In the 11-year history of Indo-Myanmar border trade, the total volume is only about Rs 201 crores”.

“In an effort to revive the declining trend of the trade, we the traders want the government’s recommendation for the [central government] to allow the trading of goods from a third country as well as increasing the number of legal items,” he said.

The traders also urged the governor to pressure the government into lifting restrictions on the movements of traders, to start an international bus service between India and Burma and to repeal restrictions on the movements of foreigners.

Well-known Manipuri economist Professor Mohendro Singh said, “We at least need to have a proper communication network, pre-requisite experience for a license holder exporter or importer as well as an office of Director General of Foreign Trade here for promotion of the trade, otherwise it will only be one way traffic”.