Army ensuring no armed persons come from Myanmar: Eastern Command chief

Shillong, April 24 The Indian Army has been ensuring that no armed person is entering India from Myanmar, Eastern Command chief Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita said on Monday.

He also said that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and no one can cause any harm to the Indian territory.

"Our nation traditionally opposes all forms of societal violence, whether they are carried out by a certain group of people or a state. We are against violence and terrorism," Lt Gen Kalita, who attending the diamond jubilee celebrations of HQ 101 area here, told reporters.

Noting that in Myanmar, the military government is engaged in conflict with pro-democracy factions, he said that this has led to some problems that have emerged in the border regions.

"When fighting occurs near the border areas, people from Myanmar flee to our side in order to avoid the conflict. Only unarmed persons are allowed to enter this side and it is the Army's job to ensure that. It is our responsibility to make sure that no one carrying weapons enters our territory."

On Arunachal, he said: "The fact that Arunachal Pradesh is a part of India has been expressly emphasised in a number of government statements. Due to varying conceptions of the Line of Actual Aontrol (LAC), there are times when tensions between the two sides during routine patrols duties escalate."

"But there are five agreements in place between our army and the Chinese, and whenever anything happens, all of these issues are dealt with according to these established protocols," he added.

The Eastern Command chief also said that in the past 12 months, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and the northern borders have all seen steady security conditions. "However, we are always keeping an eye on the situation, and our armed forces are ready for any eventuality."

He said that infrastructure development is a goal of the recently launched Vibrant Village programme by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This is a complete package for infrastructure development to provide enhanced connectivity to forward areas and access to facilities for the local people.

Lt Gen Kalita said that there has been significant infrastructure development and an improvement in the security scenario during the past few years.

"States like Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland that have seen insurgent movements have witnessed drop in violence parameters because of which Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 is reduced in certain districts and police stations due to this there is a lot of work of infrastructure development going on now," he added.

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