New Delhi: There will be definite unease in New Delhi’s South Block that houses the ministries of defence and foreign affairs over reports that China in its own secretive way has handed over a Ming Class submarine to Myanmar on Friday (December 24)—the founding day of Myanmar Navy.
It was exactly a year ago—December 24, 2020—that India had gifted a Russian-made Kilo Class submarine to the Myanmar navy which in a way was also to pre-empt growing Chinese efforts to get Myanmar to buy a Chinese submarine.
In effect, the Myanmar Navy now operates two attack submarines—one gifted by India last year and another one given by China three days ago, undoubtedly at much subsidized rates, although both are refurbished ones and are expected to have a much shorter life span.
The submarine from India—where it served in the Indian Navy as INS Sindhuvir—was commissioned on December 24, 2020, as the UMS Minye Theinkhathu in the Myanmar Navy. It was named after an ancient legendary Burmese warrior.
On the other hand, the Ming Class submarine was commissioned in the Myanmar Navy as UMS Minye Kyaw Htin, after a famous Burmese king who ruled large parts of the country from 1673 to 1698.
The commissioning ceremony was held at the Myanmar Naval Dockyard, Sinmalaik, Thilawa Dockyard, Yangon Naval Base, on Friday, with the Tatmadaw’s chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing presenting a badge to the commander of the vessel.
The submarine transfer serves the Chinese Navy well as the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is in the process of phasing out its older naval platforms and replacing them with modern and more powerful vessels.
Worryingly, three of India’s immediate neighbours now operate Chinese-made submarines—Pakistan, Bangladesh and now Myanmar—giving credence to the theory that China is undertaking an effort to girdle India with its own spheres of influence. Thailand is also expected to receive a China-made Yuan Class submarine in a few months' time.
What will concern India more is the mode of transaction that China carries out when it comes to transfer of military equipment as the receiving country has to host Chinese personnel including technicians and trainers for a certain period of time. In other words, it implies Chinese military presence in Myanmar now.
China is already the top supplier of weapons and military equipment to Myanmar.
The Tatmadaw regime in Myanmar is considered very close to Beijing. The relationship has become more proximate after the sudden February 1, 2021 coup when General Hlaing seized power effectively ending a decade-year-old experiment with democracy.
The coup had followed an electoral verdict in November 2020 that overwhelmingly favoured the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi-led National Democratic League (NLD) which bagged 396 seats of the total 476, while the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) got just 33.
Since then at least 1,375 people have been killed and more than 8,000 jailed in brutal crackdowns by the Tatmadaw on pro-democracy activists and protesters.
A civil war-like situation now prevails in the country with a number of ethnic armed organisations declaring war against the junta, adding more volatility to the incessant insurgencies led by rebel ethnic groups including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Karen National Union (KNU), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Shan State Army-North, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army.
