UNC urges Governor to reinstate FMR, halt fencing, rollback districts
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 03 2025: A delegation of the United Naga Council (UNC), led by its president, met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Raj Bhavan on Thursday around 1:30 pm and submitted a memorandum urging reinstatement of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) in Naga areas, halt to the Indo-Myanmar border fencing, and resolution to the district creation/rollback issue.

In the memorandum, UNC appreciated the Governor's efforts towards restoring peace and normalcy in the state while drawing attention to what it termed as a historical injustice � the severing of ties between ethnic Naga communities along the Indo-Myanmar border due to the scrapping of FMR and the construction of border fencing.

UNC cited a ministry of home affairs (MHA) notification from September 26, 1950, and the Indo-Burma Treaty of 1952, which allowed hill tribes residing within 40 km on either side of the border to move freely without passports or visas for socio-economic reasons.

The border was later demarcated in 1967 through bilateral agreements, reportedly without the consent of local communities, leading to the division of Naga populations across two countries.

To facilitate continued interaction between divided communities, India and Myanmar implemented the Free Movement Regime in the 1970s.The arrangement allowed residents to travel up to 16 km on either side of the unfenced border for 72 hours with valid permits.

The last revision to the regime came was in January 2018 as part of the Indian government's Act East Policy.

However, on February 8, 2024, MHA scrapped the FMR, disrupting social, cultural, and economic ties among Naga communities living across the border.

The memorandum said that the decision is causing hardships in areas such as healthcare, education, seasonal farming, and family events.

UNC stated that the move violates Article 36 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which protects the rights of indigenous groups divided by international borders to maintain relations across those borders.

Tribes like Tangkhul, Anal, Moyon, Lamkang, and Maring Nagas, who reside in Ukhrul and Chandel districts and have long-standing ethnic ties with Nagas in Myanmar's Sagaing region, have been directly impacted.

UNC argued that border delineations driven by colonial-era political motives had unjustly fragmented their communities.

The Council also objected to the ongoing construction of border fencing along an 80-km stretch in Tengnoupal and Chandel districts, calling it an infringement on indigenous rights.

The fencing, it argued, violates international environmental laws by disrupting, migratory routes and threatening biodiversity.

The memorandum warned that the fencing, supposedly meant to curb smuggling and illegal immigration, would further alienate peaceful frontier communities and must be stopped immediately.

While acknowledging the government's concerns about security, UNC asserted that the Naga areas do not face such vices and that applying uniform security measures without localised assessment amounted to criminalising peaceful cotamunities.

It demanded the immediate reinstatement of the Free Movement Regime and a halt to the fencing project in Naga areas.

The memorandum also revived the longstanding demand for rollback of the seven districts created by the government on December 8, 2016 .

UNC said the district creation was arbitrary and violated four memoranda of understanding signed between the state government and Naga organisations.

The move had sparked mass protests, including a 139-day economic blockade and rallies in Naga district headquarters, it mentioned.

Despite 13 rounds of tripartite talks among UNC, state, and the Centre, no concrete proposal has been presented to resolve the issue, UNC stated while expressing concern over a government letter that listed "Kangpokpi" as an Autonomous District Council when no such ADC exists, calling it a possible attempt to reinforce the newly created districts and undermine the talks.

UNC appealed for the Governor's personal intervention to address these grievances and reaffirmed its trust in the tripartite talk process stating that resolving these issues would help restore confidence and goodwill among the Naga people.

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