India scraps Free Movement Regime with Myanmar
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Thursday that the government has scrapped the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar to safeguard internal security. On Tuesday, he announced plans to fence the entire 1,643-kilometer-long India-Myanmar border. Last month, Shah said that the Centre would soon fence the India-Myanmar border, just as it had barricaded the border with Bangladesh.
Why does this story matter?
The FMR was initially put in place in the 1970s along the Indo-Myanmar border. It was reimplemented in 2018 as part of India's Act East Policy. The regime allows tribes along the border to venture 16 kilometers into each other's territory without formal documentation. With the FMR removed, people living in border regions will require a visa to enter the other country.
Shah makes announcement on X
Border-fencing long demand of Meiteis
The Imphal Valley-based Meitei communities have long demanded fencing along the border, claiming that tribal militants frequently cross the border into India. Several thousand anti-Junta rebels have fled to India since the Myanmar military coup in 2021. The Meiteis have also alleged that narcotics are being smuggled into India, taking advantage of the unfenced international border.
Manipur CM called 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 was planning to fence its border with Myanmar. Manipur shares approximately 390km of porous border with Myanmar. Of this, only 10 kilometers are fenced.
Watch: Congress leader's reaction on FMR suspension
Myanmar soldiers entering Mizoram
As of July last year, state government data revealed that around 700 illegal immigrants had entered Manipur. Besides Manipur, Mizoram has also seen an inflow of thousands of anti-Junta rebels since the military coup in Myanmar. NDTV reported that the number of soldiers who have fled Myanmar since November 13 and crossed into India has reached 636. Mizoram shares a 510-kilometer border with Myanmar.
