India will fence Myanmar border, end free movement: Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Saturday that the Centre will soon fence the India-Myanmar border, just as it has barricaded the border with Bangladesh, to restrict free movement into the country. The announcement followed a meeting between Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma and Shah on Friday to discuss the influx of Myanmar soldiers into India. NDTV reported that the number of soldiers who have fled Myanmar since November 13 and crossed into India has reached 636.
Why does this story matter?
India and Myanmar share a 1,643-km border spanning Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. Of this, only 10 kilometers (in Manipur) is fenced. The Free Movement Regime (FMR)—initially put in place in the 1970s—along the Indo-Myanmar Border (IMB) was reimplemented in 2018 as part of India's Act East Policy. It allows tribes along the border to venture 16km into each other's territory using a border pass valid for a year. They can stay up to two weeks on each visit.
Will soon end free movement into India: Shah
Shah was speaking at the passing-out parade of the first batch of the five newly-constituted Assam Police Commando battalions in Assam. "I want to tell my friends in Assam that the Narendra Modi government has decided to fence India's open border along with Myanmar just like we have fenced the country's border along with Bangladesh," he said. "The government is also reconsidering India's [FMR] agreement with Myanmar and will soon end the free movement into India," Shah added.
People living on border regions will soon require visa
Once the FMR is removed, people living in border regions will require a visa to enter the other country. Notably, the FMR was first introduced in the 1970s, taking into account the border people's familial and ethnic ties. The decision to do away with FMR had been floating around since the start of January. The decision drew heated reactions in Nagaland and Mizoram, where many people share deep ethnic ties with those on the other side of the international border.
Manipur CM urged for termination of FMG
In September 2023, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh requested the central government to end the FMR along the Indo-Myanmar border to tackle "illegal immigration." Singh also revealed that Manipur was working on a National Register of Citizens and planning to fence its border with Myanmar. Manipur shares approximately 390km of porous border with Myanmar.
Why is there influx of Myanmar refugees
Myanmar soldiers are fleeing to Mizoram to escape an armed insurgent group. In 2021, Myanmar's military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government. This was followed by widespread protests that escalated into armed resistance. However, in October 2023, an alliance of three ethnic groups launched a massive offensive, overrunning dozens of military outposts and taking control of numerous towns in northern Myanmar. The alliance includes the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army.
India-Bangladesh border to be completed this year
Like Myanmar, Bangladesh also shares a long border of 4,096km with India. Of the total, 2,216.7km lies in West Bengal, Assam (263km), Meghalaya (443km), Tripura (856km), and Mizoram (318km). Fencing and road construction along the India-Bangladesh border is expected to be completed by March 2024. As of October 2023, the government had successfully installed physical fencing along 3,180.653 kilometers.
