On the topic of business-military-political tours, William Boot, The Irrawaddy‘s regular reporter of Burma-related business news, has a neat little story on a Burmese delegation to India’s northeastern States of Manipur, Assam and Mizoram.

Boot reports:

A 30-strong delegation of Burmese business leaders and government officials are on a 10-day tour of India’s northeast states in a bid to drum up more trade contacts.

First stop was Imphal, capital of Manipur State, where the Burmese–including members of the Indo-Myanmar Border Traders’ Union and trader representatives from Sagaing Division–were given an official reception.

Manipur’s Principal Secretary of Commerce and Industries, P.C. Lawmkunga, said he believed India was doing all it could to promote greater cross border trade despite a recent drop due to “problems of insurgency and frequent [road] blockades in Manipur,” Imphal’s The Sanghai Express newspaper reported. Lawmkunga called for what he termed more mutual trust between the two countries.

A report in the Express last October said one laden truck traveling between Imphal and the Burmese border crossing at Moreh is liable to be stopped 18 times for inspections or permits. Businesses have complained of having to pay bribes.