INDO-BURMESE AGREEMENT ON BORDER DEMARCATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000100210002-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: March 16, 1967
• Content Type: CABLE

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Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/21 : CIA-RDP08001297R000100210002-8
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INFO : HONG KONG, RANGOON, BOMBAY CALCUTTA, MADRAS, RAWALPINDI
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SUBJECT :'Indo-Burmase Agreement on Border Demarcation
REF : A-739
Larch 161 1967
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2he Governments of India and Burma signed an agreement in Rangoon on -1
USIA N2SA March 10 formally to delimit and demarcate the boundary between the two
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countries. The agree:a:Int, which is subject to ratification within three
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months, provides for the establishment of a Joint Boundary Comaission to plan
and carry out the demarcation,prepare boundary maps, and draft a boundary
treaty.
The agreement was signed by Colonel Ky5 Maung on behnlf of the Bunncse
Government and by K. E. Kannanpilly, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of
Exter1'.0. Affairs for the Goveranent of India.
A Press Note on the agreement issued by the YEA said that the agreaent
would."further strengthen the friendly relations between the two countriesn
:AtET.A spokesman added that the Indo-Burmese boz?der had giveh_n_o_dif2icn111
and that there vsre no disputesneoncerning the border, but the absence of
a fornal treaty was the ht by both Govern-lents to be undo7jrab1e.
According to the spokesman, Kannanipilly had gone to Rangoon to discuss ways
of preventing the movement of hostile elements across the Indo-Burmese
frontiers, but in the course of discussions it was found thnt it would be
useful to have a formal boundary agreement.
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dAtLi Match It', 1967
Burma-India Boundary Agreement; Border Discussions between
Burmese and Thai and between Burmese and Pakistani Officials
1. Burma and India signed a boundary agreement in Rangoon on
March 10, 1967. Newspaper reports did not provide details of the
agreement and mentioned no particular problem areas but merely said,
"The Agreement provides for establishment of a Joint Boundary Com-
mission which will plan and carry out the demarcation of the boundary
between the two countries, prepare boundary maps and a draft boundary
treaty". Shri K. M. Kannampilly, Joint Secretary of the South Asia
Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, signed the agreement
for India; Colonel Kyi Maung, a fast-rising officer on the Army
General Staff, signed for Burma,
2. We are inclined to believe that there are some politically
sensitive features in this agreement. Both Burmese and Indian
officials in Rangoon are quite close-mouthed about the agreement;
in conversation with Embassy officers they attempt to pass off the
agreement as quite routine. Yet the amount of discussion that took
place between the two sides prior to the agreement would indicate
some unusual features. Indian External Affairs Minister Chagla
(accompanied among others, by Kannampilly) visited Burma on
January 20, reportedly to discuss economic and cultural matters
and to get acquainted with General Ne Win and Foreign Minister
U Thi Han. On February 17 Kannampilly brought a delegation to
Burma, reportedly to discuss matters discussed earlier by Chagla.
GROUP-3
Downgraded at 12-year intervals,
not automatically declassified.
FORM
4.62 DS -323
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/21 : CIA-RDP08001297R000100210002-8
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/21 : CIA-RDP08001297R000100210002-8
Rangoon A-191
CONFIDENTIAL 2
Finally Kannampilly made a third trip to Rangoon and it was announced that
he signed a border agreement, of which there had been no mention earlier.
3. On the Burmese side, it is curious that the agreement was signed by
Colonel Kyi Maung rather than a Foreign Office official. (He should not
be confused with another Colonel Kyi Maung, a former member of the Revolu-
tionary Council who has been under detention since 1965.) Colonel Kyi
Maung is not a member of the Revolutionary Council and is not attached in
any way to the Foreign Office. He was promoted to full colonel only in
1966 but is now reportedly one of the top colonels on the general staff of
the Burma Army. The fact that Colonel Kyi Maung signed for the Burmese
leaves room for speculation that General Ne Win may have thought the matter
so sensitive that he preferred it to be handled by one of his trusted
officers rather than by the Foreign Office.
4. Continuing the speculation, if the agreement is politically sensitive
it would presumably be so only with refennce to a third party, such as
Pakistan or China. If the former, it migAt involve the Indian troubles
with Mizo tribesmen and rumored Pakistani assistance through Burmese
territory to these tribesmen. If the Latter, it might involve demarcation
of the area where Burmese, Chinese, and Indian borders meet. A local
newsman is propounding the theory that by signing the agreement Burma has
accepted the Indian version of the China-India border in that area.
5. In February Burma had border discussions with both Pakistan and Thailand.
In both cases the discussions involved local officials. The meeting with
the Pakistanis was at Maungdaw, Burma. The meeting with the Thais was at
Chiengrai, Thailand. There is a formal Burma-Thai General Border Committee,
but according to press reports this was the first meeting of the committee
in four years. Nothing has appeared here as to the substance of either
meeting.
Comment. It is difficult to fathom what, if anything, is behind this flurry
of activity relating to Burma's borders with its non-communist neighbors.
There are a number of recent reports that relatively large groups of Chinese
refugees have been crossing the inadequately policed border into northern
Burma from Yunnan. Conceivably Ne Win could be tidying up his other borders
in anticipation of border troubles in the north. Alternately, the activity
could be related to the current (Thailand) or potential (India and PakistaL)
use of foreign sanctuary by Burma's ethnic insurgent groups, whose depreda-
tions have increased noticeably in recent months.
BYROADER
CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/21 : CIA-RDP08001297R000100210002-8