Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the Central government has decided to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along India-Myanmar border to maintain India’s internal security and demographic structure of the North Eastern states. While the Ministry of External Affairs is currently in the process of scrapping it, Amit Shah said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has recommended the immediate suspension of FMR.
“It is Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji’s resolve to secure our borders. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided that the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar be scrapped to ensure the internal security of the country and to maintain the demographic structure of India’s North Eastern States bordering Myanmar,” Shah said on X.
The announcement came two days after Shah said India has decided to fence the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border.
FMR allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other’s territory without any documents. The FMR was implemented in 2018 as part of the Modi government’s Act East policy at a time when diplomatic relations between India and Myanmar were on the upswing. In fact, the FMR was to be put in place in 2017 itself but was deferred due to the Rohingya refugee crisis that erupted that August.
Manipur chief minister NBiren Singh thanked the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister for scrapping the FMR and for their commitment to secure the border. Fencing along the border has been a persistent demand of the Imphal valley-based Meitei groups which have been alleging that tribal militants often enter into India through the porous border.
The Meitei groups also allege that narcotics are being smuggled into India taking advantage of the unfenced international border.
On Tuesday, the home minister had said besides constructing a fence along the entire Indo-Myanmar border, a patrol track along the border will also be paved to facilitate better surveillance.
Manipur and Mizoram shares around 390 km’s and 510 km’s of porous border with Myanmar respectively.
Apart from Manipur and Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh shares a 520-km border with Myanmar while Nagaland shares a 215-km border with the country.
Mizoram chief minister Lalduhoma has been vocally critical of his opposition to sealing the border, even while conceding that he does not have the authority to stop the Centre from taking these steps.
Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio had said the decision of the Centre to fence the India-Myanmar border needs thorough discussion before implementation. However, large sections of Naga civil society have expressed their opposition to these moves.
