Myanmar expanding economic ties with India

Even though the global community is yet to appreciate the ongoing elections in Myanmar (earlier known as Burma and Brahmadesh) as a pragmatic way to transform the southeast Asian nation into a multi-party democracy, the Burmese military rulers start working to enhance bilateral ties with its neighbours including India.

According to the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar, the poverty-stricken country is now working with China, India, Thailand, Russia and Middle East nations to further increase natural gas production. Quoting the Myanmar energy ministry, the newspaper made a front-page report on 1 January 2026 stating that the country of 55 million people has been strengthening cooperation with all these foreign nations in various offshore oil & natural gas projects. At present, Myanmar and Thailand are jointly expanding investments in oil & natural gas projects in Ayeyawady and Mottama sedimentary basins along with offshore areas, where India continues to carry out oil & gas exploration and drilling activities in areas near the Andaman islands, confirmed Myanmar Union emery minister Ko Ko Lwin in an official talk on 30 December last.

Meanwhile, the military-ruled Myanmar conducted the first phase of general election on   28 December  amid a civil war like situation. The electoral exercise covered  102 out of  330 townships (loosely termed for constituencies), even though many localities evaded the voting as those were not under the control of the military regime led by Min Aung Hlaing. The agitating anti-military ethnic groups, people’s defence forces and other armed resistance outfits, which currently rule one-third of the trouble-torn Myanmar territories, strongly opposed the polls. The second and third phases of voting are scheduled for  11 January  covering 100 townships  and 25 January 2026 for 63 townships. The outcomes are expected after the opening of electronic voting machines, used for the first time in Myanmar, at the end of  January.

The military junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) planned for elections in  274 townships, while the rest have been declared as disturbed and unstable (precisely under Rakhine, Sagaing and Shan provinces). The voting on last Sunday began at 6 am under heavy security arrangements in major cities like Naypyitaw, Yangon, Mandalay along with the townships under Bago and Ayeyarwady regions and continued till 4 pm. The peaceful polling witnessed mostly elderly voters, who came out to vote with no hope but to get rid of threatening actions by the armed forces (popularly known as Tatmadaw). The young voters, who are not hailing from the military families, largely boycotted the election. Once can remember, the last national election, even amid the corona pandemic, recorded around 70 percent voter turnout.

The UEC had earlier canceled the registration of a number of mainstream political parties citing various reasons. Over 40 political  parties, including the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, did not re-register with the electoral  authority. Only six political parties including the junta-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party along with National Unity Party, People’s Pioneer Party,  Myanmar Farmers Development Party, Shan & Nationalities Democratic Party, and People’s Party are allowed to field candidates nationwide, where  51 smaller parties are entitled to take part in regional assemblies. Over 4,850 candidates representing various  political parties remain  in the fray.

Joining the chorus of pro-democracy workers, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) recently denounced the junta’s elections as illegal and undemocratic. In a statement, the APHR warned that the polls are a political ploy to legitimize continued military rule amid widespread violence, human rights abuses, and the collapse of democratic governance in Myanmar.  Since seizing power, the military dictators unleashed unprecedented violence and impunity against the Myanmar people, where over 7,000 civilians including  900 children were killed. Predicting more conflicts after the polls, the forum also warned that it would increase refugee flows into Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and other countries and worsen regional instability.

The election was also rejected by the National Unity Government (an exile authority of Myanmar) as well as several global actors like the United Nations, many western nations and human rights groups assuming the electoral process as ‘not free, fair and inclusive’. NUG representatives claimed that the junta that continues airstrikes over civilian populace conducted the farce election only to legitimize their rule in the Land of Golden Pagodas. Political observers believe that election will hardly help installing an independent civilian regime as the military dictators want to install a government only to avoid international sanctions. However, military dictator Hlaing, who after exercising his franchise in a polling station in Naypyitaw argued that the election would be thriving and reading for the people.

India with a major investment in the under-construction Kaladan multi-modal transit transport project (waiting for official commissioning soon) and hope for New Delhi’s Act East Policy inspired India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway had earlier expressed its concern over the continued instability on border localities and also unchecked influx of Myanmar nationals. North-east, sharing 1643  kilometers of porous land border with Myanmar, also faces an unchecked flow of  illicit drugs and arms. As Bangladesh is facing turmoil ahead of 12 February 2026 general election, many armed Rohingya militants (originally hailed from Myanmar’s Arakan localities) are apprehended to enter the region. The covert ties between the Myanmar military and some north-eastern insurgents may also complicate the situation. All these burning issues need to be addressed effectively by New Delhi, while expanding the financial ties with the Myanmar military regime.

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