Naga bodies urge PM, HM to halt border fencing
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, July 22 2025:
Several Naga organisations on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to immediately halt the fencing of India-Myanmar border and to restore the Free Movement Regime (FMR) within 20 days.
The Naga organisations, which included the United Naga Council, All Naga Students' Association, Manipur, Naga Women's Union and Naga People's Movement for Human Rights, South submitted the petition through Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
According to a Raj Bhavan statement, representatives of UNC, ANSAM, NWU, and NPMHR-S met Governor Bhalla on Tuesday, and expressed concerns over ongoing developments impacting the hill areas, particularly in relation to the Free Movement Regime and border fencing.
"The Governor acknowledged the grievances raised and said that the matter would be looked into," said the statement.
Expressing strong resentment against abrogation of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the accelerated ongoing border fencing construction along the India-Myanmar border, the Naga civil organisations said several forms of protests, including "picketing of government offices in Naga inhabited areas have been undertaken along with protest rallies in Naga inhabited hill districts" .
Serving a 20-day ultimatum, the Naga organisations said "the government of India must revoke the notification/order related to the abrogation of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) immediately" .
The government's revised border guidelines issued in December 2024 limit cross-border movement under FMR to just 10 km from the border and impose a "border pass" system.
Under the earlier FMR, every member of the hill tribes, who is either a citizen of India or a citizen of Myanmar and who is resident of any area within 16 km on either side of the border, can cross over on production of a border pass with one year's validity and can stay up to two weeks per visit.
The ultimatum also addressed to external affairs minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and defence minister Rajnath Singh expressed deep concern and anguish, registering strong opposition to the unilateral abrogation of the FMR along the Indo-Myanmar border - described as an "imaginary" boundary - and the accelerated construction of border fencing across ancestral Naga lands.
They condemned these actions as having been carried out without proper consultation with the affected indigenous communities and in violation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), particularly Articles 8, 26, and 36, which have been endorsed by India.
The ultimatum further recorded that numerous press releases had been issued, government offices in Naga-inhabited areas had been picketed, public protests and rallies had been conducted across Naga hill districts, and several memoranda had been submitted, all aimed at voicing firm opposition to the abrogation of the FMR and the construction of the border fence.
Among the references cited, memorandum was submitted by the UNC to the Union Home Minister through the Deputy Commissioner, Senapati district, on January 19, 2024; ANSAM's intimation to the Union Home Minister through the Governor of Manipur on February 1, 2025; rally held in Chandel district; and joint memorandum to the Prime Minister on February 12, 2025 by Chandel Naga People's Organisation (CNPO), Naga Students' Union, Chandel (NSUC), and Naga Chiefs' Association, Chandel.
In Kamjong district, a rally was organised, and the Tangkhul Naga Zingsho Long-phang submitted a memorandum to the Governor on February 21, 2025 .
A mass rally also took place in Ukhrul, organised by Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) under the aegis of the UNC, during which a memorandum was submitted to the Prime Minister of India on April 2, 2025 through the Deputy Commissioner, Ukhrul district.
The signatories included TNL, TNAL, TSL, TKS, TMNL, TNZL, Tangkhul Naga Ato Longphang, Tangkhul Naga Aze Longphang, and Tangkhul Naga Zingtun Longphang.
On May 2, 2025, the UNC submitted another memorandum to the Governor of Manipur, followed by a separate memorandum from ANSAM on February 26, 2025.Further, on June 20, 2025, ANSAM submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister, and the Union Home Minister through the Governor of Manipur.
That same day, the Senapati District Students' Association (SDSA) submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, and the Governor through the Deputy Commissioner, Senapati.
Parallel submissions were also made on June 20, 2025 by the Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS) in Ukhrul district and by the Naga Students' Union, Chandel (NSUC) in Chandel District, both addressed to the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, and the Governor of Manipur via their respective Deputy Commissioners.
Most recently, on July 12, 2025, the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) submitted another memorandum to the Governor of Manipur.
In view of the above and in pursuit of securing the legitimate rights of the Naga people over their ancestral lands and their identity as a people, the Naga organisations issued a 20-day ultimatum to the Ministry of External Affairs demanding: the immediate revocation of the notification/order related to the abrogation of the Free Movement Regime; an immediate halt to all ongoing border fencing and demarcation activities in Naga ancestral lands; and the initiation of a meaningful and time-bound dialogue with Naga civil society organisations and other concerned stakeholders.
The signatories have warned that failure to address these demands within the stipulated timeframe will compel the Naga civil society organisations to resume protest actions in more intensified forms across all Naga-inhabited hill districts.
The signatories to the statement include Ng Lorho, president of UNC; Vareiyo Shatsang, general secretary of UNC; Priscilla Thiumai, president of NWU; A Hoibila, general secretary of NWU; Th Angteshang Maring, president of ANSAM; Isaac Charenamei, general secretary of ANSAM; and Joyson Mazamo, convenor of NPMHR-S .
(With inputs from PTI) .
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