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India to Fence Entire India Myanmar Border, Reconsider Free Movement Regime for Border Tribes
India’s decision to fence the India-Myanmar border
India Myanmar share a 1,643 kilometre long international border that runs along the Northeastern states of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
Of this long boundary, only 10 kilometres is currently fenced, making it extremely porous. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, the central government has now decided to fence the entire length of the India-Myanmar border, similar to the fencing along the India-Bangladesh border.
The aim is to curtail the free movement of people across the border. In addition, the Indian government also plans to reconsider the Free Movement Regime (FMR) agreement with Myanmar that was implemented in 2018, and is going to end the ease of travel soon. The FMR allows tribes living along the border areas to travel up to 16 kilometres inside the other country without a visa and stay for up to two weeks.
The rationale provided by the central government for fencing the porous boundary and relooking at the FMR is to check the continuous influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar into the Northeastern states.
Other reasons cited are to stop the smuggling of drugs and gold, as well as prevent misuse of the border by insurgent groups for attacks. The Indian government had earlier in 2018 vouched to safeguard the traditional rights of tribal communities residing along the border through the FMR. However, security concerns have now taken precedence for the administration.
What is Free Movement Regime?
The Free Movement Regime (FMR) is a mutually agreed arrangement between India and Myanmar that was formally implemented in 2018, allowing tribes living along the border on either side to travel up to 16 kilometres inside the other country without a visa. They can also stay for up to 14 days. The FMR agreement was put in place under India’s Act East Policy, at a time when diplomatic ties between the two countries were strengthening.
The key aim of the FMR was to facilitate regulation and harmonization of the already existing free movement rights enjoyed by border tribes for decades as India shares 1,643 km long porous border with Myanmar.
These include ethnic communities like the Mizos, Nagas, Chins, and Kukis, whose lands straddle across both countries due to the boundary demarcated by the British in 1826 without consent. The Free Movement Regime (FMR) agreement was thus intended to formalize cross-border travel while retaining traditional linkages and family ties between kindred tribes inhabiting the India-Myanmar borderlands for generations.
India’s Reasons to End Free Movement Regime (FMR)
The Indian government has cited four main factors behind its decision to potentially end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the India-Myanmar border.
- Continuous Influx of illegal immigrants: These includes concerns about the continuous influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar into states like Manipur. In 2023 alone, over 2,000 illegal Myanmarese migrants were identified and deported back from Manipur.
- Cross-Border Smuggling: Another key reason is to crack down on cross-border smuggling of drugs, gold and weapons through the porous boundary.
- Militant Groups: Moreover, Indian security officials have blamed militant groups including UNLF, PLA and NSCN for misusing the border flexibility to build camps, obtain arms and engage in illegal trafficking to fund their activities.
- Demographic Change: Lastly, there are worries in Manipur about demographic change due to the illegal settling of Myanmarese tribal migrants like Kukis in forest areas.
What will be Implications of Fencing the Border?
The decision to fence the India-Myanmar border and end the FMR could adversely impact local tribes like the Kukis, Nagas and Chins. Erecting the border fence may foster unrest by angering communities whose culture and ethnicity straddles across it, especially in Manipur. The United Committee Manipur (UCM), an apex body of 32 civil society organizations in Manipur, has warned of launching an agitation opposing the move if the government proceeds with the fencing.
The Mizos have strongly opposed the move, considering the border an “imposed boundary” from colonial times and its fencing unacceptable. Similarly, fencing has been called unacceptable by the Naga leaders as well given the large Naga population in Myanmar.
Experts argue that erecting fences through indigenous lands may inflict partition trauma and divide closely linked ethnic groups, similar to the British-era partition of Bengal and Punjab against native consent, as discussed in “On the utility of security fences along international borders” by Jellissen and Gottheil (2013). It threatens to separate kindred tribes like the Mizos, Chins and Nagas, while disrupting traditional cross-border ties.
Recent India Myanmar Border Developments
Manipur has raised strong security concerns regarding the porous India-Myanmar border, leading the state government to appeal to the Centre in 2023 to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) citing illegal immigration and cross-border drug trafficking.
On the other hand, the Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga met Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister in Delhi opposing any border fencing with Myanmar. The move has been described as unacceptable to the Mizos given long-standing ethnic ties.
Similarly, even though it has not issued an official statement, the Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton during a meeting in Aizawl said that fencing the border would be unacceptable to the Naga people as well, considering the significant Naga population in Myanmar. The contrasting statements indicate a divide between security priorities and socio-cultural concerns.
India-Myanmar Border
The India-Myanmar border stretches 1,643 kilometres passing through the four Northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. It traverses forested mountainous terrain that is largely unfenced, with less than 6 km fenced in Manipur, making the border extremely porous. This porosity has facilitated rampant cross-border crime and illegal activities like smuggling and trafficking.
As per reports, Indian security officials have blamed the open border for nearly 200 security personnel and civilian deaths in the region between 2001-2003 due to increased militancy and violence. The terrain has enabled militant groups like UNLF, PLA and NSCN to set up camps across the border and engage in arms and drug trafficking. Global agencies have also warned that the unfenced boundary could become a key transit for illegal drugs. These concerns over crime, violence and loss of revenues are a key factor behind the central government’s decision to fence the India-Myanmar border completely.