Guwahati: A day after deciding to fence the 1643-km long India-Myanmar international border, union home minister Amit shah on Thursday announced that the ministry of home affairs has scrapped the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar with immediate effect.The union home minister in his social media post said, “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.”The announcement of the union home minister came a day after the Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO)’s opposition to the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the Indo-Myanmar border.Pointing out that fencing of the border with Myanmar would lead to separation of families and disrupt the livelihood of many, the ENPO urged India and Myanmar to enhance existing policies, not abolish FMR, which facilitated border travel.Various groups including NSCN (I-M) and NGOs of Mizoram have also opposed the move.In a statement, the NSCN (I-M) said that the move to end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) agreement with Myanmar is also not acceptable. The FMR, which was introduced in the 1970s, allows the ethnic communities living along the border to visit the two countries without visa and passport. Only a travel permit issued by the border guarding agency (Assam Rifles) is required now.The NSCN (I-M) statement said, “The recent move of the government of India to abolish the time honored Free Movement Regime (FMR) has come as a rude shock to the NSCN in particular and to the whole Nagas in general…the fact remains that the Nagas have never accepted the arbitrary international boundary demarcation set up by Prime Ministers of the two countries in 1953 and the Nagas living on either side of the so-called international border have remained as one family defying all the odds. As one family, Nagas need free movement from both sides,”The NGO Coordination Committee, a group of NGOs in Mizoram, on Tuesday held a meeting at the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) office at Aizawl on issues of the fencing of the India-Myanmar border and disposition of the Free Movement Regime.The NGO Coordination Committee has decided that they will submit a memorandum to the Centre against the fencing of Myanmar border and disposition of the Free Movement Regime.The Committee also stated that they would consult other states that share a border with Myanmar and decided that a physical activity in protest of the Centre’s decision will be taken up if necessary.It is significant that the NGO Coordination Committee is a group of NGOs that include Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), Mizo Students’ Union, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), MHIP or Mizo Women’s Front and MUP or the Mizo Elders Association.Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has welcomed the decision of union home minister to scrap the FMR with Myanmar.He said, “I welcome the efforts of Hon’ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShahji to terminate the Free Movement Regime. This policy along with the ongoing fencing of the Indo-Myanmar border will help build a full-proof mechanism to check infiltration and insurgency in the North East. Under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodiji, we are witnessing long term solutions that will bring lasting peace and progress in our region.”The home minister has also announced that India will fence the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border. The move to fence the border has been a persistent demand from Meitei groups based in the Imphal Valley. These groups have raised concerns about tribal militants infiltrating India through the porous border and have also alleged the smuggling of narcotics due to the unfenced international boundary.
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