The border between India and Myanmar is all set to get fenced. Earlier, people enjoyed an arrangement that permitted people from both countries to visit the other side as far as up to 16 km without carrying any travel documents. However, with the fencing of the border, this arrangement is soon going to be scrapped, according to Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Home Minister is all set to end the Free Movement Regime (FMR). "We will fence the open India-Myanmar border just like how we fenced the border with Bangladesh. We are reassessing the free movement regime with Myanmar, and will end the agreement," expressed Home Minister Amit Shah at an event. This regime at present permits entry sans passport and visa. The regime was set for the purpose of allowing the tribes sharing ethnic, social, or familial relations on both ends of the border to stay connected.
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Why is the FMR about to end?
India shares a long porous border with Myanmar starting from Arunachal Pradesh to Mizoram. The length of the border is 1,600 km.
The decision to end the FMR is not taken randomly. Rather, there exists a strong reason for the government to put an end to the regime. N Biren, the Chief Minister of Manipur, along with the Manipur government has been urging to Central government to put an end to the FMR. The state government claims that illegal immigrants, drug traffickers, and insurgents from Myanmar have been misusing the liberty of the Free Movement Regime. These insurgents then cross to Manipur and create turbulence.
There have been several instances of ethnic violence in the region too. Since May 3, 2023, about 180 people have passed away in ethnic violence between the Kuki tribes and the Meiteis.
On the other hand, Mizoram does not want the border to be fenced. The state has said that it is going to oppose any action to fence the border. Lalduhoma, the Chief Minister of Mizoram has stated that it was the British who demarcated the border, and thus, the border is not acceptable for both sides' ethnic groups. This implies that Mizoram does not want the FMR to end.
Also, it is not easy to fence the border between India and Myanmar. The cause of difficulty lies in the terrain of the region.
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The FMR and its history
It was in the 1950s when the government permitted the citizens of India and Burma to enter on either end sans any visa or passport for up to a stretch of 40 km. As per the rule, the Indian citizens could stay for 24 hours in Myanmar, while the Burmese were permitted to stay for a total of 72 hours in India.
Next, in 1968, India brought forward a new permit system to the regime. The permit was to be issued by either end of the border for temporary entry for their citizens. Then, insurgency rose in Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram, and concerns over the regime started to emerge.
In the year 2004, India made a move to limit the distance of the FMR. Earlier, the distance was 40km, but India reduced it to 16 km. Moreover, earlier the citizens from either side were permitted to cross from various points. However, India took the move of allowing the citizens to cross from only three places. These gateways were the Moreh in Manipur, Zokhawthar in Mizoram, and the Pangsau in Arunachal Pradesh.
Recently, in the year 2018, an Agreement on Land Border Crossing was signed between India and Myanmar. The government expressed in a statement that the agreement is going to foster the harmony of the existing free movement rights of the citizens ordinarily residing in the border regions of both India and Myanmar. The agreement is also going to foster movement of the citizens on the basis of valid visas and passports. This will further facilitate social and economic interaction between India and Myanmar.
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