COCOMI has sought an official clarification from the Centre and the Manipur Government over a report claiming India is considering exchanging 1.4 square miles of Manipur's territory with Myanmar as part of border demarcation.
Imphal, July 27: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) on Sunday demanded that the Central and Manipur governments clarify their stand on a media report claiming that India is considering exchanging a portion of Manipur's territory with Myanmar as part of efforts to resolve an unresolved section of the international boundary.
In a statement issued by the convenor of its IPR Sub-Committee, Phijam Shyamchand, the civil society body warned that it would not "remain a silent spectator" if any proposal involving the transfer of Manipur's land were found to be true and implemented.
The demand follows a July 17 report published by The Diplomat by senior journalist Rajeev Bhattacharyya, which cited an official government document indicating that a proposal was under examination to exchange 1.4 square miles of land in Chandel district with Myanmar to facilitate demarcation of the India-Myanmar boundary between Border Pillars 65 and 68. According to the report, the proposal originated from the Foreign Secretary and was reflected in a government document dated May 26, 2026, which also envisaged completing the demarcation exercise within three months.
COCOMI questions reported proposal
Referring to the report, COCOMI said the document allegedly identifies the area of Manipur proposed to be exchanged, located between Border Pillars 65 and 68 in Chandel district adjoining Myanmar's Kabaw Valley in Sagaing Region. However, it claimed there was no corresponding reference to any land that Myanmar would provide in exchange.
"If the facts mentioned in the report are true and translated into action, COCOMI will not remain a silent spectator," the organisation said.
It asserted that the territorial boundaries of Manipur were inherited from previous generations and argued that the state had already lost land at different points in history. According to the organisation, protecting Manipur's territorial integrity has remained a central concern across generations, and any further loss of territory would be unacceptable.
The organisation said numerous public movements had previously been launched to safeguard Manipur's territorial integrity and cautioned that the Government of India should not take any decision that could trigger fresh unrest in the state.
Report links proposal to border demarcation
According to The Diplomat, the proposal is linked to the long-pending demarcation of portions of the India-Myanmar boundary that remain unresolved despite the two countries having signed the India-Myanmar Boundary Agreement in 1967. The report said the proposed exchange concerns land contiguous to Myanmar's Kabaw Valley and forms part of efforts to settle the boundary between Border Pillars 65 and 68.
The report further noted that the Government of India has been pursuing completion of the border demarcation as part of its broader plan to fence the 1,643-km India-Myanmar border, a project intended to curb illegal immigration, cross-border insurgency and other transnational crimes. Manipur alone shares about 398 km of this international border.
The article also recalled that Parliament had earlier been informed that certain stretches of the boundary remained unresolved and required joint mechanisms for demarcation, including the identification and erection of additional border pillars.
Longstanding boundary concerns
COCOMI pointed out that unresolved boundary issues continue to exist in several stretches of the Manipur-Myanmar border, particularly between Border Pillars 64 and 68 at Molcham, 75 and 79 near Moreh, and 88 and 95 around Choro Khunou.
The organisation noted that although the Manipur Government constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee in 2000 to examine the border issue, it claimed there had been little visible progress since then.
It also referred to reports that the India-Myanmar boundary issue figured during the recent visit of Myanmar's military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to India. According to COCOMI, media reports suggested that discussions included the possible erection of auxiliary border pillars in the Molcham sector of Chandel district.
The Diplomat similarly reported that border demarcation was discussed during the visit and cited a government official as saying that the possibility of erecting auxiliary and new border pillars between Border Pillars 65 and 68 had been examined. The report added that a proposal relating to the alignment of the border in the Molcham sector was also under consideration.
Demand for official clarification
Questioning whether any part of the state's territory could be ceded in the name of resolving the international boundary or strengthening bilateral relations with Myanmar, COCOMI asked how much of Manipur's 398-km border could ultimately be affected if such proposals proceeded.
The organisation maintained that even the smallest portion of Manipur's territory should not be surrendered and urged both the Government of India and the Manipur Government to publicly clarify their position.
As of Monday, there has been no official confirmation from either the Government of India or the Manipur Government regarding the existence or implementation of any proposal to exchange territory with Myanmar. The claims cited by COCOMI originate from The Diplomat's report based on a document the publication said it had reviewed.
