Kamjong public rally against border fencing
Source: Chronicle News Service / R Lester Makang

Ukhrul, February 21 2025: Hundreds of people took out a mass protest rally in Kamjong district headquarters on Friday, demanding reinstatement of the erstwhile Free Movement Regime (FMR) and cessation of the ongoing border fencing project along the Indo-Myanmar border.

The rally kicked off around 9 am at the Kamjong public ground, where protesters carried banners and chanted slogans opposing the removal of the FMR and the ongoing border fencing exercise.

They marched to the Kamjong Assam Rifles post before returning to the starting point for a public meeting.

Kamjong public rally against border fencing

Meanwhile, the Tangkhul Naga Zingsho Longphang (TNZL) submitted a memorandum to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, voicing public discontent with the border fencing and scrapping of the FMR.

TNZL is a cultural and traditional apex body, mandated to represent 66 revenue villages under Zingsho region of Manipur.

As a popularly elected organisation, TNZL serves as the guardian of ancestral customs, traditions, and identity, ensuring the continuity of the rich heritage of the Zingsho people.

In the memorandum signed by TNZL chairman AS Nathan and joint secretary AS Khathing, the eastern zonal body highlighted that the border fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border and scrapping of the FMR pose existential threat to the Naga people, their identity, and traditional way of life.

"Our region shares a long eastern border with Myanmar, where our people have lived for centuries, preserving and protecting their distinct culture and way of life.

The border villages of Zingsho have existed since time immemorial, deeply rooted in our collective history, standing as sentinels of our traditions and custodians of our ancestral land," it said.

"Despite historical challenges and shifting political landscapes, our people have withstood the test of time, remaining steadfast in their identity and cultural practices," it continued, adding that any policy or decision affecting this region must acknowledge and respect the sentiments of Naga indigenous community so as to ensure safeguard of their traditions, right to coexist, and historical ties.

The Naga people have lived in this region long before the creation of modern political boundaries.

Maintaining that the division of the land between India and Myanmar was an artificial imposition, disregarding the reality of the Nagas' shared history, culture, and ancestry, the zonal body stated that the Nagas living on both sides of the Indo-Myanmar border have always considered themselves as one people, bound by deep familial, social, and economic ties.

"Despite being politically divided, we have coexisted as a single community, sustaining our traditions, cultural practices, and livelihoods through cross-border interactions".

Recognising this historical and social reality, the Government of India had implemented the Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed our people to continue their traditional and cultural exchanges without hindrance, it related.

However, the sudden scrapping of FMR and the ongoing border fencing project are now threatening to sever these age-old connections, leading to cultural, social, and economic isolation, the TNZL pointed out, and called the government's move as a threat to the identity and survival of the Naga community.

The zonal body then urged the Governor to reinstate the FMR to ensure traditional and cultural exchanges continue unhindered and also halt the ongoing border fencing project and reconsider its impact on indigenous communities.

"We urge the Government to engage in meaningful consultations with Naga civil bodies and community leaders to address our concerns and respect our historical rights," it added.