Manipur Tribal Groups Oppose India-Myanmar Border Fencing

Imphal- Ten tribal organizations in Manipur, including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), reaffirmed their opposition to the India-Myanmar border fencing project and the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) on Sunday.

The organizations argue that fencing the border and dismantling the FMR would sever social, cultural, and economic ties between tribal communities living on both sides. They issued a joint statement calling on the central government to halt these initiatives.

The ITLF confirmed in the statement that they had petitioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 24, 2024, to reverse the decision to scrap the FMR and halt border fencing. They highlighted similar opposition from Mizoram and Nagaland, who also emphasize the FMR's importance for maintaining cross-border ties.

The tribal bodies urged all tribal people, particularly village chiefs and government employees, to abstain from participating in any border fencing activities. They view these activities as detrimental to the unity of communities divided by the border.

The FMR allows residents within 16 km of the border on either side to travel freely without passports or visas. This freedom of movement has facilitated strong social, cultural, and economic bonds between communities across the border.

While Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu support the border fencing and scrapping of FMR, the Chief Ministers of Mizoram and Nagaland, along with their respective governments, oppose these moves.

Manipur Chief Minister Singh stated that the fencing is necessary to curb infiltration, drug smuggling, and other illegal cross-border activities. He cited the Border Roads Organisations (BRO) as the agency responsible for erecting the fencing under the direction of the Union Home Ministry.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had previously announced the scrapping of the FMR and the implementation of fencing along the entire 1,643 km India-Myanmar border. This decision aims to bolster internal security and preserve the demographic structure of the northeastern states bordering Myanmar.

Of the four northeastern states bordering Myanmar—Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km), and Mizoram (510 km)—only fencing work along 20 km of mountainous terrain in Manipur is currently underway.