NEW DELHI: India and Myanmar are reportedly exploring a possible territorial exchange to settle a decades-old undemarcated section of their shared border along Manipur.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “There are certain areas on the border which are yet to be settled. Discussions on those sectors are ongoing.”
Jaiswal was responding to a question about reports suggesting that India was considering a land swap with Myanmar along the Manipur border. While he stopped short of confirming the reports, he acknowledged that discussions were underway to resolve unsettled stretches of the boundary.
His remarks came weeks after US-based magazine The Diplomat reported that New Delhi was actively considering such a proposal. In a July 17 report citing an “official document”, the magazine said the Indian government was examining a “proposal” to complete the demarcation of the boundary between border pillars 65 and 68 along Manipur’s border with Myanmar by exchanging around 1.4 square miles of territory. The distance between pillars 65 and 68 is approximately 2.8 km in length.
The proposed area for exchange lies in Manipur’s Chandel district, adjoining Myanmar’s Kabaw Valley in the Sagaing Region. According to the “official document”, dated May 26, 2026, the demarcation exercise was expected to be completed within three months, meaning around August.
