Indian military expansionism - The foxes will say the hens love them

India’s increasing military footprint is largely welcomed in Southeast Asia, which sees India as relatively benign rather than aggressive or imperialist, says former foreign correspondent Nirmal Ghosh.

SINGAPORE: Located around 80 nautical miles from Aceh and 430 nautical miles from the coast of Thailand, the Great Nicobar Island is closer to these Southeast Asian countries than it is to India.

But the sleepy island - the site of a roughly US$10 billion infrastructure project championed by the Indian government as one that would “enhance India's national security, strategic and defence presence” - has drawn little commentary from Southeast Asia so far.  CNA

Indian military expansionism is welcomed in Southeast Asia? My eyeballs are rolling. Which SE Asian state would love the Indian military in the region? Oh, they have little commentary on India's expansion. Silence means consent. This is the reasoning of clowns.

As the first sentence said it, Nicobar is nearer to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia than India. Why is there a need for this poor country that could barely feed its people to want to spend US$10 billion to build a naval base in a deserted island? Who are the enemies the Indians are defending from? Or what is the intent of India to insert military forces into SE Asia? To show the Asean countries that India is a superpower, a regional hegemon?

India is relatively benign and not aggressive? Says who? My little toes are all laughing. But this kind of lies will be welcomed by the dense and unthinking. Ask the neighbours of India, ie Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka and China. India still sits on hundreds of thousands square kilometers of Chinese lands that the Brits stole from China and refused to return them to China. India's hostile and aggressive regional hegemon behaviours has made enemies of every one of its immediate neighbours. India is still claiming part of Kashmir, Indianised those under its control. India is daydreaming about the Bharat Empire that extends from Afghanistan to Myanmar, including Tibet and the islands in the Indian Ocean. It is all shown in the Indian map of the Bharat Empire. India has no imperialist dream?  Oops, many little boys and girls in Singapore will believe so.

India is benign, not expansionist? The fox saying the hens love them? Only silly hen will love the Indian foxes and want the foxes to protect them. Asean countries that think India is benign and welcomed by Asean please raise your hand. I see one hand waving frantically.

What do you think?