EP-304 | Yunus vs Bangladesh Army, China’s Strategy & US Plan for Myanmar | Lt Gen PC Nair (Retd)

ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

Lieutenant General PC Nair is a retired officer of the Indian Army with a career spanning over four decades. He served as the Director General of the Assam Rifles, India’s oldest paramilitary force, where he played a crucial role in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East region. Lt. Gen. Nair (Retd) has extensive expertise in dealing with insurgency, tribal dynamics, and border security.

He is also recognised for his in-depth understanding of India’s internal security challenges, particularly in volatile regions such as Manipur, Nagaland, and the North East. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Lt Gen PC Nair (Retd.) discusses the proposed Rakhine Corridor in Myanmar, which has sparked political and military tensions in Bangladesh.

He explains how China is expanding its influence through the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and why the US seeks to increase its foothold via humanitarian aid in Myanmar. He also explores why Bangladesh’s interim government chief, Muhammad Yunus, is delaying elections and the growing rift with Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman.

He also discusses the impact of militancy along the Myanmar border and how growing Chinese influence in Bangladesh affects India.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

01:50 – Power Game in Myanmar’s Rakhine

06:30 – China’s Ties with Myanmar’s Arakan Army

11:57 – ‘Humanitarian Corridor’ in Rakhine

14:00 – Yunus’s Interest in Rakhine Corridor

19:27 – American Presence in Bangladesh

23:17 – Muhammad Yunus vs Army

27:16 – Kaladan Multimodal Project

32:28 – Challenges on the Indo-Myanmar Border

35:38 – Bangladesh's ‘Two Chicken Necks’

41:43 – Revival of Lalmonirhat Airbase

46:36 – Jamaat-e-Islami Comeback in B'desh

48:54 – Myanmar’s Rare-Earth Mining

51:43 – Militant Groups in Myanmar

57:33 – India-Bangladesh Relations