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STILWELL ROAD TO BE REVIVED TO CONN



The Stilwell Road which connected Burma and China during the Second World
War is now to be revived as a link between India, Burma, China, Thailand
and other South East Asian countries. The following is an interesting
article from The Asian Age on 26th February.

MIZZIMA News Group



N-E wants revival of silk route to China
By Manoj Anand from The Asian Age newspaper of India

Guwahati, Feb. 25: 

The 2,000-year-old "silk route" linking India to China is sought to be
revived by the Northeastern state governments as they believe that it will
lead to prosperity for the region currently one of the most backward area
of the country.

The existing Stiwell road named after World War II British commander
General Stilwell, was a road that had used the ancient "silent route"
between China and India to link up Burma and China during the great war.

This route is now sought to be revived as a link between India's
NorthEast, Burma, China and Thailand besides other South East Asian
countries. All the seven sister state governments are contemplating to
chalk out a comprehensive plan to moot this idea of opening international
trade with neighbouring countries. The Arunachal Pradesh finance minister
L. Wanglet who recently met the Union commerce minister Ramkrishna Hegde
said that the commerce ministry is also not opposed to their proposal.
Advocating the reopening of the route, Mr Wanglet said that in the current
age of a globalised economy, such a dynamic decision is necessary to
assert ourselves in the international market.

The Stilwell road that has a total length of about 1727 km and connects
the two neighbouring countries of China and Burma. Mr Wanglet was of view
that if Stilwell road is revived, NorthEastern states may even have access
to Bangkok's international market. The decision on the Stilwell road
project was first taken by British in October 1942 during World War II and
construction work started on December 10, 1942 with active cooperation of
13 agencies. Four persons were actively associated for accelerating the
construction work: Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell, Gen. Wavell the chief
architect, Maj. Gen. Wer Covell and Maj. Gen. Lewis A. Pick.

>From Ledo to Pangsau pass covering a stretch of about 61-km was completed
during October 1943 and rest of the work was completed on February 11,
1945.

Interestingly, a bid to revive the Stilwell road seems to be the revival
of the history as Huan Sen who came to Assam in the 7th century has also
mentioned about the Silk Route to China in his famous travelogue.
Chinanshuk (Silk) cultivation is believed to have come to Assam from
China.

A conference of NorthEastern states' transport ministers has also decided
to move a joint proposal for opening the Stilwell Road. They believed that
once the road is opened, the entire trade of the region would take a new
shape and relations with neighbouring countries particularly with China
will also improve.

Expressing dismay over the illegal trade along the border, the transport
ministers meet felt that this road would definitely help in containing the
ongoing illegal trade along the Indo-China and Indo-Burma border.

Presently a large stretch of the road is covered by dense foliage for lack
of maintenance and reportedly it has also become a stronghold of the
insurgent outfits.