India-Myanmar Home Secretary level talks on January 19

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) A joint strategy to deal with insurgent groups in India's northeast, checking of drug smuggling, arms and ammunition will be high on the agenda during the Home Secretary-level talks between India and Myanmar to be held on January 19 in Myanmarese capital of Naypyitaw. India's Home Secretary R K Singh will travel to Naypyitaw to hold annual bilateral talks with his counterpart where he will impress upon the neighbouring country to take action against the Northeast-based insurgent groups having bases across the border. India and Myanmar are expected to discuss how to check cross-border crimes, especially smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition and may formulate a joint strategy to deal with the menace. New Delhi has long been pressing Naypyitaw for taking strong action against ULFA, NSCN, UNLF and other insurgent groups which have large bases in Kachin province of Myanmar. Though Myanmar had launched several offensives against these groups, they were yet to be completely wiped out from the territory of the neighbouring India shares a 1,640km long border with Myanmar touching the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. PTI