 |
| Three Indian naval ships at Rangoon (27 April 2014). |
Three warships of Indian Navy had
visited Rangoon second time this year since India and Burma have thawed their
long-frozen relationship during military dictatorship in Burma. Burma was a
significant part of British Indian Empire for nearly a century since 1826.
Two Indian naval ships INS Gharial (L23)
and INS Sujata (P56) from Indian Navy and ICGS Varuna (36) from Indian Coast
Guard arrived at Rangoon’s Thilawar Naval Docks on April-27 and left Rangoon on
April-30. Their first official visit to Rangoon was in last January just this
year.
5,665 displacement-tons INS Gharial
(L23) is a Magar Class Landing Ship and 1,890 displacement-tons INS Sujata
(P56) is a Sukanya Class Patrol Vessel and 1,220 displacement-tons ICGS Varuna
(36) is a Vikram Class Offshore Patrol Vessel.
585 Indian naval officers, sailors, and
naval cadets led by Commanding-Officer-Captain Commodore Happy Mohan were on
three visiting ships cordially welcomed at Rangoon’s Thilawar Naval Docks by
Colonel Ye Min Oo (BN) and naval officers and sailors of Burma Navy.
“We’d been here before in last January also and this is our second time here. We
are next-door-neighbours and we’ll be visiting each other’s ports very often,” said happily Indian
Naval Captain Mr. Manish Bandari at Thilawar Naval Docks.
The medical crew on three Indian ships
had then treated patients free at nearby Than Hlyin Hospital. The nearly
600-strong Indian naval crew had also visited world-famous Great Shwe Dagon Pagoda,
National Museum, and other significant places-of-interest in Rangoon the
commercial capital and the largest city in Burma.
Select-some of the Indian naval crew
then performed on stage at Rangoon’s National Theatre a large boisterous play
named “Friendship and Harmony across The
Indian Ocean” to general public as a friendship gesture to the people of
Rangoon.
