The rally organized by YTC on April 12 at Pungro against the GoI's decision to scrap FMR and the proposed construction of fencing witnessed participation from various sections of society. (Photo Courtesy: YTC)
• YTC stages rally against FMR scrapping, Indo-Myanmar border fencing
• Memorandum submitted to Union Home Minister via ADC Pungro
PUNGRO, APRIL 12 (MExN): In a strong display of unity and resistance, the Yimkhiung Tribal Council (YTC) on Saturday organized a protest rally at Pungro Town against the Government of India's decision to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the proposed construction of fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border in Nagaland. The rally witnessed participation from various sections of society, including students, elders and concerned citizens.
Following the peaceful demonstration, a memorandum was submitted to the Union Home Minister through the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Pungro. The YTC expressed deep concern over the February 6, 2024, announcement by the Government of India to do away with the FMR and initiate border fencing in areas historically inhabited by the Yimkhiung Nagas.
The memorandum highlighted that the international border pillars currently demarcating India and Myanmar are arbitrary and have historically divided the Yimkhiung people, whose ancestral land predates modern political boundaries. It stated that the fencing proposal would further alienate communities already separated by what it termed as an “imaginary line,” undermining traditional, social, and cultural ties that bind people on both sides of the border.
Calling for the immediate restoration of the Free Movement Regime in its original form, the YTC stressed that many Yimkhiung Nagas in Myanmar rely on their kin in Nagaland for daily needs, including economic, educational, medical and social support. It voiced apprehension that “this idea of inhuman border fencing will permanently separate the already imaginary separation of siblings on both sides of the country (India and Myanmar).”
Further, the YTC voiced strong opposition to the introduction of a border pass system, arguing that it infringes upon indigenous rights and the traditional freedom of movement across ancestral land.
“By this new system of border pass it will mean taking away the freedom of our people to freely move in one's land that lies on both sides, which disrespects the Indigenous rights of our people,” the YTC stated while appealing for cancellation of its border pass system.
Urging the Government of India to reconsider its decision on both the fencing project and the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime, the YTC reiterated that any move to physically divide the Yimkhiung people would not only be unjust but would also strike at the very foundation of indigenous rights and coexistence along the Indo-Myanmar border.
