The Chief Angh residence in Longwa, a village situated at the Indo-Myanmar border. As per an official profile, even though the village is situated in two countries, the entire village is ruled by the chief. (Image Courtesy: https://mon.nic.in/)
The village ‘lies half in India and half in Myanmar’
Morung Express News
Mon/Dimapur | February 2
Residents of Longwa, a village straddling the Indo-Myanmar border, have announced a ‘Public Rally’ on February 3 to protest against the fencing and the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) by the Government of India (GoI).
The rally, organised by the Konyak Union, will be held from 6 AM to 1:30 PM at Longwa Village.
In this connection, the office of the Longwa Students' Union (LSU) has appealed to all adult residents of Longwa to attend the rally without fail, to show “common resentment” towards the GoI’s decision to scrap the FMR and subsequently erect border fencing.
“This will divide our people, disturbing peace and order and hampering our traditional integrity and rights,” the LSU asserted in a press release.
The LSU also laid down several guidelines for strict adherence by all concerned during the rally period.
The guidelines include the closure of all shops and institutions within Longwa’s jurisdiction from 6 AM to 1:30 PM.
Entry and exit of vehicles (including daily Sumo services) and movement of the public, tourists, and visitors will also be strictly prohibited during the rally. However, healthcare services are exempted from these guidelines.
Any individual or group failing to adhere to the above-mentioned directives shall be penalised, the LSU cautioned in the press release.
It must be noted that Longwa is one of the largest villages in Mon district and the seat of one of the eight “Chief Anghs” within the district. The Angh (King or Chief) system is a unique feature of Konyak tradition.
As per the official Mon District Administration website, the Chief Anghs of these villages rule over a group of satellite villages under them, some of which are in Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar but maintain a “strong customary and traditional relationship with the rest of the villages in Mon District.”
One Anghship, two ‘nations’
Describing Longwa as a highly interesting place, it stated that the Angh’s house in the village “lies half in India and half in Myanmar.”
“Even though the village is situated in two countries, the entire village is ruled by the chief. The natural beauty is immense, with a total of four rivers flowing through the village—two in India and two in Myanmar,” it added.
In an appeal made in February 2024, when the issues of FMR abolition and border fencing first emerged in the public domain, the Chief Angh of Longwa Village, Tonyei Phawang, on behalf of its citizens, urged the State Government, led by the Chief Minister, to “look into the matter and voice out” against the abolition of the FMR and the subsequent erection of border fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border.
In his appeal, he stated that the village is home to approximately 6,000 people, who practically live in both countries but under one Anghship, one Church, and one Administration.
As per recent records, Longwa Village consists of 990 households, scattered across both Indian and Myanmar territories, the Chief Angh highlighted.
He further pointed out that along the boundary line, there are 170 households, including the Chief Angh's residence, a Government Primary School, a Church, an Assam Rifles Post, shops, and other public properties.
Additionally, the village has eight jhum farmlands and forest reserves under its jurisdiction, of which four farmlands and one forest reserve fall within Myanmar’s territory, he added.
Phawang further contended that if the Government of India proceeds with its plan, the occupants living along the border will be adversely affected in multiple ways, particularly in Longwa, since its people are scattered on both sides.
“Our separation by the erection of a border fence is something we never thought of, and under any circumstances, we will not accept the idea,” he asserted.
It must be noted here that Nagaland shares a total of 215 km of international Border with Myanmar and over the past one year, several stakeholders has voiced out against proposal to abolish the FMR as fence international border.
The Nagaland Legislative Assembly’s March 1, 2024 also passed a resolution urging the GoI to reconsider decision to the scrap FMR and fence the India-Myanmar border areas.
Besides highlighting the immense hardship and inconvenience that Nagas living along the India-Myanmar border would face if these measures are implemented, the resolution also pointed, among other concerns, to the traditional landholding system that extends across the international border in many areas.
Such measures would seriously disrupt the age-old historical, social, tribal, and economic ties of the Naga people on both sides of the border, it added.
In January this year, the Nagaland Government reiterated its appeal to GoI to review its decision on the cross-border movement along the India-Myanmar border and re-imposition of the Protected Area Permit (PAP).
