Junta leader still in India as Indian shells hit

Mizzima

Indian border forces have shelled a Myanmar military position in Tamu, just hours after junta chief Min Aung Hlaing met senior officials in New Delhi.

The cross-border exchange began late on 31 May and continued into the early hours of 1 June. Local sources reported that the Assam Rifles, India’s paramilitary border force, fired heavy weapons 13 times from Manipur’s Tengnoupal District towards Min Thar village, a junta stronghold about a mile from the frontier. Myanmar forces responded with three rounds of counter-battery fire.

Residents said the shelling was sudden and intense, though no casualties have yet been confirmed. “They have a habit of firing randomly and unexpectedly,” one witness told Mizzima, describing intermittent blasts through the night.

Military intelligence suggests Min Thar hosts around 300 personnel, including junta troops, Pyu Saw Htee militias, the Shanni Nationalities Army, and Meitei and Naga insurgents opposed to India. Most civilians have long fled, leaving only a handful aligned with the military administration.

The timing of the clash is notable. Just hours earlier, Min Aung Hlaing met India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval alongside senior ministers and generals. State media framed the talks as efforts to strengthen friendship and defence cooperation. Yet the shelling of a junta base underscores the volatility of the frontier and the complex security dynamics at play.

At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Min Aung Hlaing remains in India on an official visit until 3 June. The juxtaposition of diplomatic overtures in Delhi and Indian shells falling on the border highlights the fragile balance India must navigate: engaging Myanmar’s military leadership while confronting armed groups and instability along its northeastern edge.

-2026-06-02