Despite protest of NE people, India to fence along Myanmar border
Guwahati: Amid massive opposition from NE states, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has finally said on Tuesday that the Modi government has decided to construct the entire 1643 km long Indo-Myanmar border.
Amit Shah made the announcement on X at exactly 6:12 PM on Tuesday, dispelling speculation that the central government was not rethinking safe Border Fence construction due to many oppositions from various sections of ethnic groups in the states of Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
The Indo-Myanmar border runs for 1,643 km in the four states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Chasing, Amit Shah wrote, “The Modi government is determined to create impenetrable borders. It has decided to fence the entire 1,643 km Indo-Myanmar border…”
The tweet further wrote, “To facilitate better surveillance, a patrol track along the border will also be paved. Out of the total border length, a 10 km stretch in Moreh, Manipur, has already been fenced. Furthermore, two pilot projects of fencing through a Hybrid Surveillance System (HSS) are under execution.
They will fence a stretch of 1 km each in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. Additionally, fence works covering approx 20 km in Manipur have also been approved, and the work will start soon.”
Fencing a border along the Indo-Myanmar has been staunchly opposed by the Nagas of Nagaland, Manipur and Myanmar, including the Kuki-Zo communities of Manipur and Mizos of Mizoram.
The Nagas in the Eastern region had vehemently denounced the recent actions taken by the government of India over the decision to fence and bifurcate Naga villages, fields, and farmlands between India and Myanmar, calling it oppressive and demanded the withdrawal of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the proposed reconstruction of border fencing, announced by Amit Shah on 20th January 2024.
The Lahe declaration was passed by the Naga Students’ Organisation (Sagaing Region Office, Myanmar) on February 2, 2024.
The United Naga Council, All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) the apex civil bodies of the Nagas in Manipur including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum; The Naga Students’ Federation, Global Naga Forum, Naga Hoho and the Naga Indigenous People’s Forum had voiced strong opposition against the proposed move, including the Naga People’s Front legislator Achumbemo Kikon and Home Minister Y Patton, Rising people’s Party among others.
The NSCN-IM had in a statement on January 24, 2024 said, “All said and done, we are totally against boundary fencing in our lands that violates our rights as one family. Simply put, NSCN will not allow the proposed boundary fencing that further divides the Naga family as a nation”.
