Tezpur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during the 60th Raising Day ceremony of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), in Tezpur, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Guwahati: Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the border with Myanmar will be fenced on the lines of Indo-Bangladesh border and the Free Movement Regime (FMR) will be ended.
"Our border with Myanmar has remained open but the Narendra Modi government has decided to fence the border to protect it like it was done in the India-Bangladesh border. The government of India is also reconsidering the Free Movement Regiment agreement which we have with Myanmar. And now the Centre is going to shut this free movement system," Shah said while addressing the passing out parade of the first batch of the five newly raised Assam Police Commando Battalion, in Guwahati.
Shah's announcement comes amid a growing demand in the conflict-hit Manipur for fencing the border with Myanmar and the objections to the same from Mizoram and Nagaland. After the violence between the Meiteis and Kukis broke out in Manipur, CM N. Biren Singh in September urged the Centre to fence the border and cancel the FMR saying insurgents and drug smugglers were misusing the system to carry on with anti-India activities.
India shares 1,643 km of border with Myanmar. Of this, Mizoram shares 510 km and Manipur has 398 km, Nagaland (215 km) and Arunachal Pradesh (520 km).
Mizoram and Nagaland government, however, recently objected to the Centre's move to fence the border and end the FMR saying that this would disturb the communities who share ethnic ties.
Kukis share ethnic ties with the Mizos of Mizoram and Chins of Myanmar. Mizoram CM Lalduhoma recently told Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that any move to fence the border and end the FMR is unacceptable.
The Kuki-Zos have, in fact, stepped up their demand for "unification" of the Zofate (Kuki-Zo-Chins) living in India and Myanmar for creation of a "separate administration" in order to end the conflict in Manipur.
Similarly, Nagaland deputy CM Y Patton on January 9 said that like the Mizos, a significant Naga population resides within Myanmar from time immemorial. "Given this shared cross-border demographic, any resolution regarding Indo-Myanmar border fencing would be unacceptable for Nagas," Patton, who is also a senior leader of BJP in Nagaland, said. BJP is a coalition partner in the NDPP-BJP government in Nagaland while Lalduhoma-led Zoram People's Movement is in power in Mizoram.
The FMR was introduced in the 1970s as the ethnic tribes living in Myanmar and India share ethnic and familial ties and they wanted a system for easy movement. They now just require a travel pass issued by the border guarding force to cross the border. But if the FMR is cancelled, the villagers would require Visas like any other foreigners.
On Saturday, Shah also attended 13th triennial Bathou Mahasabha conference, the 60th Foundation Day of Sashastra Seema Bal, both in Tezpur and released a book on Ahom General Lachit Borphukan and inaugurated the Brahmaputra riverfront beautification project in Guwahati.