Eastward Ho!

 The aim of the IMT Highway Project is to open the gate to ASEAN with India through India’s North east through land. The project will boost trade, commerce and investment between the two regions and the ASEAN – India Free Trade Area. India had proposed the IMT highway project be extended up to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. During my recent visit to Thailand I had the honour to meet His Excellency Korn Dabbaransi, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand and President of the Thai – India Friendship Forum. H.E. is a strong advocate of the trilateral highway and discussed at lengths the growth and prospects that will follow once the entire highway is completed and fully operational. In the meeting was also present Khun Somsak Burapapipath, the Managing Director of GMS Rally   (ASEAN ) the oldest and most experienced overland rally company in Southeast Asia. A lot of ground inputs were discussed and highlighted regarding the highway. Khun Somsak had undertaken several over...

The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Project will provide an alternative route between India’s landlocked Northeast to Southeast Asia. As the name implies it is multi-modal and engages a range of infrastructure from roads, bridges and floating barrages. Once completed it will be a game changer for the Northeast region’s access to ASEAN and Southeast Asia through Myanmar to provide an alternative route between landlocked Northeast and the rest of India as well. It is currently served by the narrow Siliguri corridor. The Kaladan project starts from West Bengal through the Bay of Bengal to Myanmar’s Sittwe port where it meets the Kaladan river which flows from Myanmar to Mizoram ultimately connecting the Northeast. Several hurdles such as political disturbances, difficulty in acquiring land for the project and the global pandemic of 2020 had caused delays in completing this project. In the first phase   the main purpose was to connect Sittwe port in Myanmar with Haldia in West Bengal t...

  As global geopolitical dynamics evolve, India’s relationship with Bangladesh is evolving into more long term commitments between the two countries. The signing of several India-Bangladesh MoU’s on various sectors including sharing of waterways serve as the harbinger of closer ties between the people of the two countries. Thus, the visit of the Ambassador of Bangladesh to North East India could not have come at a better time. His Excellency Muhammed Imran, the Ambasador visited Guwahati and Dawki via Shillong last week.   He was accompanied by the Bangladesh Asst. High Commissioner who is based in Guwahati. They were received warmly by the governing body of the Meghalaya International Exporters Chamber of Commerce (MIECC) at   Dawki. A fruitful and interactive discussion took place where the MIECC have highlighted issues of the Dawki -Tamabil land border trade that need to be addressed for the smooth functioning of trade between the two countries. Some of the issues di...

  The age old ties between India and Bangladesh have withstood many challenges. History has been witness to the social, cultural and economic bonding of New Delhi with Dhaka. The relation of northeast India with Bangladesh occupies a special place in the history of both the countries. Since Bangladesh was originally a part of undivided India, many   eminent personalities from the region have studied in Dhaka University. Even now   there is cross border relations between close relatives and friends of the two countries. The culture of Northeast, especially Assam, is quite similar to that of Bangladesh, with the same fondness for fish and fish products and music inspired by the Brahmaputra, known as Padma in Bangladesh.   The future of Northeast India and Bangladesh looks bright with emerging partnerships and associations in different fields. In this context I would like to highlight a few significant steps that have been taken over the years to enhance connectivit...

India and ASEAN trade ties grew 22% annually during 2005 – 2011 and more than 37% in 2011-12.It is set for a growth to USD 300 billion by 2025. It has a promising trend to grow at a much faster pace in years to come with India’s Look East Policy. The signing of ASEAN – India Trade in goods agreement involve over 1.8 billion people with a combined GDP of over USD 3 trillion creating the world’s largest FTA ( Free Trade Agreement). The FTA and Co-operation among the ASEAN members signify a great opportunity in the field of culture, trade and commerce with India, that too through land transport along the border of approximately 1645 kms that India shares with Myanmar. The most popular and the busiest border town are Moreh (Manipur) and Tamu ( Myanmar in Sagaing Region).The other two yet to be developed and not fully operational border points are Zokathar in Mizoram (that shares approximately 515 kms border with Myanmar) and the Pangsu Pass (Lido) in Arunachal Pradesh ( that shares app...

The border town of Dawki (Tamabil) in Jaintia hills in Meghalaya  is a strategic land border hub with Bangladesh . It is approximately 82 kms from the capital Shillong. The border haat at Lyngkhat bordering Muktapur in Bangladesh which is approximately 18 kms from Dawki plays an important trade point for both trades from India and Bangladesh. The export basket so far from the Tamabil land border station has been coal ( till the time coal mining has stopped) boulders and limestone, both from the Khasi and Jaintia hills. The products imported   from Bangladesh are agrobased products, garments etc. mostly through the border haat. It is noteworthy that Tamabil is the busiest Indo – Bangladesh border trade route after Benapur in West Bengal. The Remington steel bridge over river Umngot is the lifeline between the Khasi and Jaintia hills. I was invited by a few exporters from the area and guided well by Mr. Chanmiki Lamin,   a young and upcoming entrepreneur and ow...

I was invited by the Asia Centre to the 2019 ASEAN Community Leadership and Partnership Forum, held in conjunction with the 34 th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok which was organised by Kingsley Strategic Institute ( KSI), ASEAN Business Advisory Council ( ASEAN – BAC), ASEAN Studies Centre, Nation Building Institute and the Asia Centre on the 23 rd & 24 th June, 2019 at Park Hyatt, Bangkok which was as eye opening experience and a very informative meet. A series of issues were addressed by renowned personalities like H.E. Anand Panyarachun, Former Prime Minister of Thailand, H.E. Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of Lao PDR, Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand and former Director-General, World Trade Organisation, Mr. Arin Jira, Chairman ASEAN Business Advisory Council ( ASEAN-BAC) / Vice Chaiman, Federation of Thai Industries/ Co- Chairman, ASEAN CLAPF and Mr. Tan Sri Michael Yeoh. I am highlighting the issues that were addressed and dis...