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Key Points

Nagaland's Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio is preparing to lead a critical all-party delegation to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the Free Movement Regime with Myanmar. The delegation aims to preserve long-standing cross-border connections that have historically existed between Naga communities on both sides of the frontier. The proposed changes by the Ministry of Home Affairs would restrict border movement from 16 km to just 10 km, potentially disrupting cultural and economic ties. This diplomatic move reflects the complex geopolitical dynamics of India's northeastern border regions and the sensitive ethnic relationships that transcend national boundaries.

Key Points: Rio Leads Naga Delegation to Shah on Myanmar Border Movement

  • Nagaland Assembly unanimously opposes FMR cancellation
  • All-party delegation to meet Amit Shah
  • Border movement impacts regional relationships
  • Concerns over cross-border ethnic connections
2 min read

Nagaland CM to lead all-party delegation to HM Shah to seek FMR with Myanmar be retained

Nagaland CM seeks to retain Free Movement Regime with Myanmar amid border policy changes and regional concerns

"The restriction would affect the long-standing historical, ethnic, social, cultural, tribal and economic ties - Neiphiu Rio"

Kohima, March 7

An all-party delegation, led by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, would soon meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to urge him not to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) with neighbouring Myanmar.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last year announced that the FMR, which allows people residing along the India-Myanmar border to travel 16 km into each other's territory without a visa, would be scrapped soon.

Instead, the MHA decided to replace the FMR to adopt a new scheme to issue a pass to the border residents of both India and Myanmar living within 10 km on either side of the frontier to regulate cross-border movements.

The Nagaland Assembly on Friday unanimously decided that an all-party delegation would meet the Union Home Minister to explain to him the "sentiment and resentment of the Naga people" against the MHA's decision to cancel the FMR between India and Myanmar.

Participating in the discussion on the issue, the Chief Minister told the house that the restriction would affect the long-standing historical, ethnic, social, cultural, tribal and economic ties of Nagas living on both sides of the India-Myanmar border. The delegation would apprise the Home Minister about the concerns and unanimity of the house, which adopted unanimous resolutions passed on March 1, 2024, and the state cabinet decisions of February 8, 2024, and January 6, 2025.

The Nagaland and Mizoram governments and a large number of political parties in the two northeastern states have been opposing both border fencing and the FMR. Four northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram -- share a 1,643-km unfenced border with Myanmar. The MHA had earlier decided to erect fencing on the entire porous border, known for the smuggling of arms, ammunition, narcotics and various other contrabands, at a cost of Rs 31,000 crore.

Meanwhile, the Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh governments, however, separately urged the MHA to erect fencing along the India-Myanmar border to prevent illegal trades of arms, ammunition, varied drugs and many other contrabands besides illegal cross-border movements of inimical elements.

- IANS

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