Imti Longchar
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 20 made the official announcement that the Government of India will end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) of people along the India-Myanmar border and will be protected by barbed fencing (similar to)- like that in the border with Bangladesh.
“The Narendra Modi government has decided that the India-Myanmar border, which is open, will be protected by barbed fencing. The entire border will have barbed fencing like that we have at the India-Bangladesh border,” Amit Shah announced while addressing the passing out parade of the first batch of the Assam Police Commando battalion in Guwahati.
This ambitious decision, according to those at the helm of affairs, is purportedly aimed at curbing drug trafficking, illegal immigration and insurgency and a crucial step in safeguarding national interest. The announcement also comes in the back drop of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh urging the Centre to suspend the FMR existing between Manipur with Myanmar to check illegal influx from the neighboring country.
Four North-Eastern states – Manipur (398 km), Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km) – share a 1,643 km unfenced border with Myanmar and there are 16 km FMR along these international borders.
This FMR, implemented in 2018, as part of India’s Act East Policy, allows people living on both sides of the border to travel 16 km into each other’s territory without a visa for up to two weeks, taking into consideration that many of them share cross-border familial and ethnic ties. Ending the agreement will restrict this movement.
In Nagaland, the move is poised to have adverse impact on the communities, particularly the Konyak Nagas and the Khiamiungan Nagas, living on both sides of the imaginary border. It will disrupt the daily lives of villagers who rely on cross-border travel for education, cultivation, and employment opportunities. Moreover, the economic consequences for Naga villagers, who depends on informal cross-border trade, cannot be ignored.
Pangsha village under Noklak district, for instance, has vast traditional land, around 5000 hectares under Myanmar, which according to the villagers, bears the main source of their livelihood and economy in the form of farming, and rearing Mithuns. In Longwa village of in Mon district, the international border that separates India and Myanmar runs right through the Angh’s home house.
With centuries-old familial ties and shared lands, the proposal to remove the FMR is bound to be viewed as a threat to the way of life characterized for generations by the Naga communities living on both sides of the border.
In 2017, when Myanmar government attempted to fence the Border Pillars (BP) 145 to 146 under Pangsha village jurisdiction, the move sparked widespread outrage and was vehemently opposed by the community that it eventually had to be scrapped. The Pangsha villagers demanded that any border fencing or pillar erection if put up should include all its lands under Myanmar. Naga organizations were also vocal that any decision to build a fence through the Naga areas should be the product of trilateral decision making including the landowners and not a unilateral undertaking.
Since the first news report on the suspension of FMR emerged on January 2, Naga civil societies have voiced strong opposition against the proposed move.
The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) termed the decision to abolish FMR as a regressive step and an affront to the rights and autonomy of the Nagas. Abolishing this regime will not only restrict the cultural, and social exchange between communities but will also add a layer of tension to an already delicate situation, it further stated.
The Rising Peoples Party (RPP) termed the decision as alarming and a wake-up call for Nagas while pointing out that the Nagas are already the most geographically divided people, and this proposal will only heighten the divide amongst the Naga people. Therefore, any policy that aims to further divide us should be opposed tooth and nail, it asserted.
Abrogating the agreement would put the Indian Government in violation of international law and human rights of Naga civilians to move freely in their homeland, the Global Naga Forum stated.
It said the Indian government to even contemplate reneging on the FMR agreement with Myanmar would not only criminalize Nagas visiting with one another as they are accustomed to doing, but render establishing social and cultural ties extremely difficult, as well as make it next to impossible, the nurturing of communities for mutual assistance in times of need across the border.
The Naga Hoho underscored the inherent freedom of the Naga people, and asserted that any state intervention impinging upon their fundamental human rights will not be tolerated. It reminded that the implementation of the FMR in 2018 was received as a positive development by people inhabiting the Indo-Myanmar borderland.
Rather than focusing on constructing physical barriers to address the concerns in the eye of the storm, the centre may do well to redirect its focus towards strengthening the existing FMR. The FMR, if revisited and reinforced could provide a more sustainable solution to the security threats raised by the Centre. Collaborating with the affected communities and state governments in the region is crucial for developing a comprehensive strategy that addresses the root cause of security threats.
