Border fencing can't stop illegal Immigrants: ANSAM
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal/Senapati, February 26 2025:
A delegation of All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Raj Bhavan, here, on Wednesday and submitted memorandums which opposed on-going border fencing work and proposed for enhancing educational infrastructures.
The memorandum demanded immediate cessation of the border fencing work and reinstatement of Free Movement Regime (FMR) with the other representation highlighting shortcomings in education and healthcare service sectors in Naga areas.
Addressing media persons at Manipur Press Club after meeting the Governor, ANSAM president Th Angteshang Maring expressed that as border fencing cannot prevent entry of illegal immigrants construction of fencing along the India-Myanmar border should be dropped.
Historically, the present Indo-Myanmar Border (IMB) is an imposed imaginary line drawn between the families, and community without the consent and knowledge of the affected tribal populace residing in the contested borderline.
The Naga people living across the artificial borderline have been enduring historical injustice facing untold hardship and suffering in terms of social, economic, political, etc.
Naga people acknowledge the Government of India for having concern over the escalating influx of illegal immigrants in the region.
However, permanent sealing of the border is not an ideal solution for curbing illegal immigrants as it will cause another human crisis, he said adding that Nagas are concerned and committed to checking the same in the state of Manipur and neighbouring states.
Angteshang also said that if the government is serious about dealing with the issue of illegal immigrants and committed to curbing the same, government may invoke various mechanisms like update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), constitution of Population Commission, strict implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) and effective checking of illegal immigrants by security agencies.
Scrapping of FMR is not tenable and dehumanizing in nature because it will surely disrupt traditional ties of people living on both sides of the border whose immovable assets spread across the border and their livelihood activities, age-old shared relationship of social and custom amongst the people, Angteshang Maring said and urged the Governor for reversal of the decision to scrap FMR and reinstate the same in Naga area and stop border fencing construction.
Regarding the other memorandum, the ANSAM president demanded installation of basic infrastructures and amenities like school building/academic block, hostels for boy and girl students, teachers' quarters, separate toilet, blacktopping of approach road and library with subject reference, laboratory with full equipment and drinking water to be installed immediately at colleges, higher secondary schools and high schools.
Regarding health sector, the ANSAM president said plight of the hill people has been neglected for decades.
The brunt of this hard reality had been faced by the poor who constitute 70 per cent of the population in Naga region with untold hardships faced in accessing healthcare service in the private sector.
As a matter of fact, all the district hospitals, community health centres are running without adequate manpower and specialist doctors and other basic facilities, he said and demanded immediate sanction of adequate doctors and other manpower in the various health centres and to provide at least one specialist doctor in every department at every district hospital as immediate measure.
The ANSAM president also requested upgrade of district hospitals from 100 to 200-bedded facilities at least to meet the ever increasing demands of medical facilities as well as to open medical colleges in Naga areas.
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