Newmai News Network
Imphal | February 2
The All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) has requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the reversal of the decision to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and reinstate the same in Naga areas along the Indo-Myanmar border.
In a memorandum addressed to the Union Home minister, which was submitted through the Manipur Governor, the Naga student body said that, acting as the voice of Naga students and youth in Manipur, “we respectfully request your kind consideration in reversing the decision made by the Government of India to revoke the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the Indo-Myanmar border.”
It said that, historically, the Indo- Myanmar Border (IMB) is an imposed imaginary line drawn between the families, and community without the consent and knowledge of the affected “tribal populace” residing in the contested borderline. The ANSAM also said the Naga people living across the “artificial” borderline have been enduring historical injustice facing untold hardship and suffering in terms of social, economic, political, etc. The reintroduction of FMR allowing the tribal living along the border to travel up to 16 km on either side of the country without a visa during 2018 under the Modi-led BJP regime was a welcoming step that has alleviated the hardship and enhanced the livelihood of the people residing along the borders, it added.
The people at large were expecting for expansion of its coverage with the rise of India as the global leader. But, to our utter shock and dismay, the Government of India has taken a regressive step having decided to scrap the said Free Movement Regime under the pretext of illegal immigrants and insurgencies, the Naga student body also said. The Indo-Myanmar Border holds greater significance for the regional inhabitants than being merely a permeable or unfenced boundary. It symbolizes the interconnectedness of physical, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and fraternal ties. Those residing on both sides of the IMB share a profound emotional connection fostered by their common cultural affinity, it added.
According to ANSAM, the Naga people acknowledge the Government of India for having concern over the escalating influx of illegal immigrants in the region. “However, we would like to put on record that permanent sealing of the border is not an ideal solution for curbing illegal immigrants but it will cause another human crisis and is highly uncalled for. We are also concerned and committed to checking the same in the state of Manipur and neighboring states. If the government is serious about dealing with the issue of illegal immigrants and committed to curbing the same, the government may invoke various mechanisms like updation of the National Registration of Citizen (NRC), Constitution of Population Commission, strict implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) etc. and more fully, effective checking of illegal immigrants rest with the sincerity of the enforcing security agencies under your government. Hence, scrapping of FMR is not tenable and dehumanizing in nature because, it will surely disrupt the traditional ties of people living on both sides of the border whose immovable assets spread across the border and their livelihood activities, age-old shared relationship of social and custom amongst the people,” it stated.
Ironically, the arbitrary borderline of Indo-Myanmar split the house of one Angh in Longwa, Konyak area. Consequently, the weight of its impacts will only fall upon the common civilians, it will amount to cross violation of human rights and the act of grave dehumanization, the ANSAM pointed out.
While appreciating the initiative for restoration of peace over the persistent conflict in parts of Manipur ‘between the Meiteis and the Chin-Kuki-Mizos’, ANSAM said, “we would like to put that the decision to end FMR and installation of fencing in all 1,643 km by dragging along many North Eastern states is not justifiable neither the right approach for containing the Manipur crisis.” But it will trigger a bigger problem without doing any good, it cautioned. “Such a premature decision on the part of GoI to erect a physical fencing border along the whole stretches of the Indo-Myanmar border- between the house, families and community is illogical and for the Nagas, is nothing less than rubbing salt in the wounds,” ANSAM also said.
Accordingly, the recent move of Government of India to scrap FMR and fencing borderlines is self-contradictory on the part of Government of India because India is also one of the countries signatories and has ratified to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007 (UNDRP) wherein the Article 36 recognises the rights of Indigenous peoples divide by international borders to maintain and develop contacts with their peoples across the border, particularly for spiritual, cultural and economic purposes, it stated.
“Moreover, it is also pertinent to mention that, the installation of fencing along the borders will also be severely impacted towards the pristine biodiversity and ecosystem. It will not only activate human crisis but ecological crisis is also bound to erupt out of such exercise,” ANSAM stated.
Therefore, any move to terminate FMR and the entire border fencing program will surely imperil the situation of people in the region and the stature of the mighty India before the world, it said. As such, this representation demands review and reinstatement of FMR to avert from ignition of the strong spark of civil unrest in the North Eastern States of India, the ANSAM cautioned.
