In Manipur conflict, rise in Myanmar-made weapons

That afternoon, the forces also recovered an MA 4 assault rifle, manufactured in Myanmar and commonly used by the Myanmar army.

Officials on the ground say they aren’t surprised because over the last five to six months, they have been recovering different types of Myanmar-manufactured weapons and other equipment from militants and their hideouts in Manipur. The forces also recovered Myanmar-manufactured bulletproof vests and military fatigues smuggled across the border.

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In the last week alone, the forces recovered at least seven pistols marked “Made in Burma”, five Myanmar-manufactured Army MA4 rifles and one AK-47.

“The country-made pistols recovered by the forces here are not manufactured in India. A civilian may not be able to differentiate it, but because we are used to recovering the Myanmar-manufactured ones, we can make out the difference. The pistol grip of the country-made Myanmar pistols is shaped differently. Some pistols also have the marking of ‘Made in Burma’. There is no abundance of weapons here,” a senior officer from the central armed police force said.

Two days before the StarLink antenna and router were recovered, the forces had also seized an AK-47 rifle during a cordon and search operation in the state’s Chandel district.

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“Though AK-47 rifles were looted from armouries and many of them have been recovered too, our forces have been recovering the Myanmar ones. We can differentiate the Myanmar-manufactured ones based on the series of the rifles. The ones used by security forces or police in India mostly have serial numbers starting with IA, but the ones smuggled from Myanmar have a different series. The ammunition is the same, so they think it is better to get an AK series rifle or even a country-made pistol from Myanmar,” the official added.

In the last 19 months, since the outbreak of ethnic clashes in Manipur, the forces have recovered hundreds of bulletproof vests and military fatigues.

“The pattern and make of the vests and fatigues are different. To avoid being spotted by civilians, both groups have got such uniforms in bulk from across the border. In fact, along with weapons, we always end up finding military boots and military fatigues. There have been cases where we have recovered not just a few but dozens of vests and uniforms. Though bulletproof vests were looted from armouries too like the guns, the ones we recover from militant camps are those sourced from Myanmar. These militants have their bases across the border too, so sourcing such items is not a problem,” the officer added.

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Myanmar shares an almost 1,643km porous border with India. While the government has announced fencing of the entire stretch, only about 30km of fencing is complete in Manipur. While there are checkpoints and integrated check posts at different locations, smugglers use the porous border to smuggle such items.

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