No Chinese surveillance at Coco Islands, Myanmar assures India

NEW DELHI: Myanmar has assured India that there is no Chinese presence at Coco Islands in Bay of Bengal, but people familiar with the matter say Naypyitaw is sitting on New Delhi's request to allow its Navy to visit the Island chain which is less than 100 miles from the Indian Landfall Island.

- Shishir Gupta

HT learns that the Myanmar Junta told India’s visiting defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh last month that not a single Chinese national was present in the Coco Islands in an effort to allay Indian concerns over Beijing using the Islands as a listening post in the Bay of Bengal. Singh was in Naypyitaw for the second annual defence dialogue with Major General Kyaw Ko Htike, Chief of Myanmar armed forces training, on September 25-27. But the Junta has still not given clearance to the Indian Navy to visit the island chain despite requests through institutionalized diplomatic and military channels, the people cited above added. The Indian Navy has asked Myanmar to be allowed to pay a visit to Coco Islands but the request has elicited no response.