Of regulating cross border movement : Understanding logic of regulation
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 12, 2025 -

Backs regulating movement across the India-Myanmar border but opposes border fencing as well as the decision to do away with the Free Movement Regime.

Back in 2024, the Mizoram Assembly passed a resolution opposing the decision of the Centre to fence the India-Myanmar border as well as do away with the Free Movement Regime to check unfettered movement of people across the international border and fast forward to 2025 the Mizoram Chief Minister does something of a somersault and sees logic in the decision of Delhi to reimpose the Protected Area Permit in Mizoram, as is the case in other North Eastern States including Manipur.

The reasoning of the Mizoram Chief Minister is easy enough to understand-the need to regulate the inflow of people from across the international border.

This is exactly the rationale behind the decision to fence the international border as well as do away with the Free Movement Regime or bring it under a set of regulations.

The reasoning of the Mizoram Chief Minister should not be lost on the people of Manipur, especially the Kuki-Chin community which has been opposing the decision to fence the international border for reasons which are best known to themselves.

The Nagas too have opposed it, but the difference should be noted.

The Naga as a community is not known to fly around and set up new villages at the drop of the hat, something which cannot be said of the Kuki-Chin-Zo community.

This point should be noted and the one size fits all line should not be used to try and understand the opposition to the border fencing exercise.

As the Mizoram Chief Minister spelt it out on the floor of the Assembly on Monday, nearly 2000 foreigners visited Mizoram between June and December in 2024 and while the neighbouring State has been able to work out the approximate number of foreigners who visited the State last year, it is not clear whether Manipur has been able to work out any statistics.

Long before Manipur came to grip with the refugees reality, Mizoram had gone ahead and set up camps to house those who had fled the neighbouring country.

It was only after some time that Manipur acknowledged the reality and decided to identify and work out the number of people who had crossed into the State. In the interregnum it is not clear how many would have merged with the local population.

A reality which Imphal just refused to acknowledge, even after it came to light that a number of such people were detected at Churachandpur.

The Sangai Express had then argued that setting up refugee camps was the right thing to do as it would help the State Government keep a track on the movement of the refugees.

Mizoram secretly being used as a transit route by foreigners travelling to Myanmar.

Some foreigners crossed the Indo-Myanmar border and entered Chin Hills in the neighbouring country to give military training.

Nearly 2000 foreigners visited Mizoram between June and December last year and many of them did not come as tourists and left the State unnoticed.

These are some points which Lalduhoma spelt out in the Assembly and while it is a case of Mizoram being used as a transit point for onward journey to the Chin Hills in Myanmar to give military training, in the case of Manipur it is about the growing suspicion of those who have received training at the Chin Hills entering Manipur to wreak havoc.

This point should not be lost on Manipur for here is a case of the Chief Minister of a neighbouring State openly admitting on the floor of the Assembly that some who entered Mizoram proceeded to the Chin Hills to give military training.

A case of a State of the Indian Union being used for onward journey to extend aid by way of giving military training and there is no reason not to believe that it is such activities which have kept the pot boiling in Manipur too.

What Lalduhoma said on the floor of the Assembly in Mizoram needs to be deeply studied and lest one forgets, it should be obvious that the hundreds of women and youths who came out on National Highway-2 on March 8 to thwart the free movement call of Amit Shah would have been instigated by those who have the capacity to do so.