“Longwa Village: One of the largest villages in Mon district, this is a highly interesting place. The Angh’s house here lies half in India and half in Myanmar. Even though the village lies in two countries, the entire village is ruled by the chief…,” goes the description in the tourism places section of the official portal of Mon District. This distinctive feature, often spotlighted in tourism narratives.
This, among others, illustrates deep cultural affinity and kinship that exists between the two sides – often refrained from with the adage physically divided by an ‘artificial’ political boundary but emotionally integrated. The recent announcement by the Union Government proposing the abolition of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) demands careful consideration within this context.
As per the Annual Report (2019-20) of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), India shares a 1,643 km long border with Myanmar comprising the States of Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km), and Mizoram (510 km). There is a Joint Boundary Working Group (JBWG) between India and Myanmar to examine/discuss all boundary-related issues in a comprehensive manner, it added.
In July 2018, the MHA also told the Rajya Sabha that the India-Myanmar boundary has been settled as per the provision of the India-Myanmar Boundary Agreement, 1967. However, ground demarcation work, including nine unsettled Boundary Pillars (BPs) along the India-Myanmar border in the Manipur sector, remains to be completed. Reportedly, India and Myanmar share 186 BPs between them. A policy brief published by the Center for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) in November 2022 informs that BP 130 to 154 passes through Nagaland.
According to MHA, under the FMR, “every member of the hill tribes, who is either a citizen of India or a citizen of Myanmar and who is a resident of any area within 16 km on either side of Indo-Myanmar border can cross the IMB on production of a border pass (one year validity) issued by the competent authority and can stay up to two weeks per visit.”
When the Union Cabinet approved the Agreement between India and Myanmar on Land Border Crossing, an official statement via Press Information Bureau on January 2, 2018, maintained that the Agreement “will facilitate regulation and harmonization of already existing free movement rights for people ordinarily residing in the border areas of both countries.” It would enhance facilitate movement of people on the basis of valid passports and visas which will enhance economic and social interaction between the two countries and is “expected to provide connectivity and enhance interaction of the people of North Eastern States of India with the people of Myanmar,” it added. Besides, the Agreement aimed to “safeguard the traditional rights of the largely tribal communities residing along the border which are accustomed to free movement across the land border.”
While the Mizoram Government rejects proposals for fencing, citing historical demarcation without local consent, the lack of reaction from the State Government and leading social organizations in affected districts is surprising. No doubt, the Rising People’s Party (RPP) has labeled the proposed changes as ‘alarming,’ but official statements from other political parties and stakeholders are notably absent.
In this milieu, the silence of the Nagaland State Government becomes conspicuous. It is crucial for them to adopt a categorical stance on the matter, aligning with the sentiments of the affected communities. As discussions surrounding the proposed changes unfold, addressing concerns and safeguarding the traditional rights of tribal communities along the border should remain at the forefront of considerations.
For any comment, drop a line to jamir.moa@gmail.com
