India and Myanmar are holding discussions to resolve long-pending undemarcated stretches of their shared border, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Wednesday, following reports that the two countries are considering a limited territorial exchange in Manipur to settle a decades-old boundary issue.
Addressing a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said certain sectors of the India-Myanmar border remain unresolved and bilateral discussions are continuing to finalise their demarcation. While he did not confirm reports of a land swap, he acknowledged that talks were underway to settle the pending sections.
The clarification came after The Diplomat reported that New Delhi was examining a proposal to exchange around 1.4 square miles of territory between border pillars 65 and 68 in Manipur's Chandel district to complete the demarcation of a 2.8-km unresolved stretch adjoining Myanmar's Kabaw Valley. According to the report, the proposal was under consideration to facilitate completion of the border and enable fencing of the frontier.
India and Myanmar share a 1,643-km international border passing through Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. The Ministry of Home Affairs has said around 171 km of the boundary remains undemarcated, mainly in Arunachal Pradesh's Lohit sector and Manipur.
The reported proposal is part of India's broader efforts to strengthen border management after deciding to fence the India-Myanmar frontier and phase out the Free Movement Regime, which previously allowed border communities to cross without visas within a specified distance.
The proposal has, however, sparked opposition in Manipur. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has warned the Centre against ceding any portion of the state's territory, describing Manipur's territorial integrity as non-negotiable. The organisation said any decision affecting the state's boundaries without the consent of its people would face strong public resistance.
Officials maintain that India has no broader territorial dispute with Myanmar and that only a handful of unresolved boundary pillars remain to be settled through bilateral mechanisms. No final decision has been announced on the reported proposal.
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