There are more infrastructure projects connecting India with Myanmar than with any of New Delhi’s other neighbours, as the external affairs ministry has discovered. The largest of them — the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transport Project — originates from the home state of the persecuted population of Rohingyas.

Yet, since each of these projects needs government-to-government support to move even an inch, it is difficult for India to take a strident position without seriously compromising their viability. These projects provide a crucial linkage to keep alive each of ...