Manipur Demands Compensation for Kabaw Valley Lost to Myanmar during 'Yandabo Treaty'

New Delhi, March 20, 2020:

On March 19, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, the MP who represents Inner Manipur Constituency in the Lok Sabha, raised the Issue of "tribute" from the Kabaw Valley in Myanmar, which was once a part of Manipur.

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Raising the issue in front of S Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs in Parliament precincts. Ranjan told the Union Minister that Manipur had given nearly 22,210 square kilometers of land called Kabaw Valley to Burma (now Myanmar) under the Treaty of Yandabo that was signed in 1826. The MP informed that once upon a time, Manipur used to get an indemnity or tribute of Sicca Rs 500 per month. Now, the MP said, the amount would be akin to Rs 8,000 crores in modern currency.

The Burmese Government paid the amount to the Government of India who in turn paid the amount to Manipur, however, the MP has charged that the Government has not paid any compensation for handing over of Kabaw Valley. "The people of Manipur are still grumbling for such a raw deal", the MP further added.

Pointing out that in 1953, U Nu the then Prime Minister of Burma came to Manipur and met the Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru, the MP further added that it is not known what agreement was arrived at between the two sides. Furthermore, the Manipur MP told the External Affairs Minister that something must be done to compensate for the loss of the Kabaw Valley.

It is pertinent to mention here that the signatories of the Yandabo Treaty included General Sir Archibald Campbell, commander of the British in the War while it was Maha Min Hla Kyaw Htin, Governor of Legaing (Sagaing today) for the Burmese. Significantly, the Treaty ended the longest and most expensive war in British Indian history.

The most important part of the treaty included the renunciation of all Burmese claims in Assam and Manipur. These areas became part of the British-India. However, dispute still remains over the Kabaw Valley and for eons, Manipuris have been demanding the Government to resolve the issue.

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"Redrawing the Indo-Myanmar boundary line along Manipur following the traditional boundary land-marks must be done using remote sensing devices of ISRO and Survey General of India", the MP stated. The Manipur further urged the External Affairs Minister to review the "Indo-Burma Boundary Commission 1967 and Boundary Demarcation of 1975."

It may be mentioned here that the Government of Manipur has already decided to flag off bus services between the state's capital Imphal and Mandalay in Manipur, to further boost the ties between the two countries.

At the time time, it cannot be denied that the Manipur-Burma border tangle continues to be a hotly contested issue, with the former having lost large tracts to territory to the Burmese post the signing of the Treaty.

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