Myanmar says no Chinese bases on Coco Islands
11 Sep 2009
Kolkota: With concerns of increased Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean Region at a heightened state, reports suggest that India may have taken up the matter of Chinese bases in Myanamar with the military dictatorship ruling the country and asked it to clarify the presence of such bases on mainland Myanmar, as well as the strategically-placed Coco Islands in the Bay of Bengal.
Flag-Officer-Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, vice admiral Anoop Singh said that India had raised the issue with Myanmar and was informed that no such bases existed either on the mainland or on the Coco Islands.
Admiral Singh was speaking on the occasion of the commissioning of Indian Navy's two Water Jet-Fast Attack Craft INS Cora Divh and INS Cheriyam.
The Coco Islands are close to the Indian Andaman and Nicobar chain of islands and about 200 kms from the Myanmar coast.