Arunachal CM, several Manipur organisations support Center’s decision to fence India-Myanmar border

Arunachal CM, several Manipur organisations support Center’s decision to fence India-Myanmar border Itanagar/Imphal, Feb 7 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and several Manipur based organisations including influential Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) hailed the decision of the Centre to fence the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, saying that the step would check the movement of inimical elements from across the border. Welcoming the Center’s decision to fence the entire India-Myanmar border, the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister said on the X : “A great move in the right direction to make our borders foolproof. Gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji and Hon'ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji to fence our borders along Myanmar.” A state-of-the-art surveillance will check the movement of unscrupulous elements, Khandu said. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who had earlier thanked the Home Minister for the decision to fence the India-Myanmar border saying that these assurances are the biggest gifts for the people of the state, also reposetd Shah’s Tuesday’s posts too. Union Home Minister on Tuesday in his posts on the X said : “It has been decided to construct a fence along the entire 1,643 km India-Myanmar border. To facilitate better surveillance, a patrol track along the border will also be paved.” Shah also said the Narendra Modi government is committed to building impenetrable borders. “Out of the total border length, a 10 km stretch in Moreh, Manipur, has already been fenced. Also, 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, the work for which will start soon,” Shah said. COCOMI Spokesperson Khuraijam Athouba said that fencing along the India-Myanmar border is necessary. He said : “The ongoing violent crisis in Manipur can be traced back to the root cause of population explosion resulting from significant illegal immigration since the 1950s, particularly during every political crisis, from Myanmar.” “This influx is now being exploited as a means to occupy territories in Manipur, fueled by the generation of new imaginary ideas like Zalengam. It is crucial to acknowledge and understand this historical pattern to navigate the complexities of the present situation.” The COCOMI leader told IANS : “We sincerely hope the government of India to follow steps which would equally be guided by truth. We seek no favors, only decisions rooted in unwavering truth !” Few other Meitei groups also alleged that various drugs are being smuggled into India from Myanmar taking advantage of the unfenced international border. Officials said that the main objective of fencing is to stop misusing the border for illegal activities as some inimical outfits including militant groups are misusing the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar. “Fencing along the Myanmar border and scrapping of FMR would stop the inflow of illegal immigrants from across the border and curb the drug, arms and ammunition and gold smuggling,” an official aware of the plan formulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, said. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma and many leading and influential organisations, including National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak-Muivah faction (NSCN-IM), Young Mizo Association, the Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO) are however opposing both the fencing and the scrapping of FMR. The FMR allowed citizens residing close to both sides of the border to move 16 km into each other's territory without passport or visa. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma had said in Aizawl that his government does not have the authority to stop the Centre from erecting border fencing along the India-Myanmar border and scrapping the FMR between the two countries, but it would oppose both the moves. Lalduhoma had said that the border with Myanmar in Mizoram was “unilaterally imposed” by the British without consulting the people and the Mizo-Zo-Chin community people living on both sides of the border do not accept the boundary. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had said the decision of the Centre to fence the India-Myanmar border needs thorough discussion before implementation. Rio had said that if the fencing along the India-Myanmar border is urgently required, “we have to work out a formula on how to solve the issue for the people and prevent infiltration as well, because Nagaland is bordered by Myanmar, and on both sides there are Nagas”.

Source: IANS