Imphal: Representatives of the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) led by its president M Luikang Luckson and six others met governor of Manipur Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan on Thursday.
During the meeting, the representatives of ANSAM submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah through the governor demanding reversal of the decision to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and reinstate the same in Naga areas along the Indo-Myanmar border.
The representatives of ANSAM also expressed their concern about the ongoing unrest in Manipur as it also affects the Naga people. They said the centre and the state government should solve the issue at the earliest and requested the Governor to put forward their concerns to the Union Home Minister.
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Governor Uikey informed them that the issues of illegal immigrants and insurgency were discussed at the NEC meeting held recently in Shillong and the centre is taking it seriously.
Further, she assured to forward their proposal to the Union Home Minister and will also talk to him in this regard.
In a memorandum signed by its president M Luikang Luckson and Angteshang Maring, general secretary, ANSAM, an apex student body of the Nagas in Manipur, stated that the reintroduction of FMR allowing the tribal living along the border to travel upto 16 km on either side of the country without a visa during 2018 under the Modi-led BJP regime was a welcoming step that has alleviated the hardship and enhanced the livelihood of the people residing along the border. But the decision to scrap FMR on the pretext of illegal immigrants and insurgencies has shocked the people along the border.
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ANSAM maintained that historically, the Indo- Myanmar Border is an imposed imaginary line drawn between families,and communities 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,” reads the memorandum.
It further stated that the Indo-Myanmar Border holds greater significance for regional inhabitants than being merely a permeable or unfenced boundary. It symbolises the interconnectedness of physical, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and fraternal ties. Those residing on both sides of the Indo-Myanmar border share a profound emotional connection fostered by their common cultural affinity.
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Moreover, the installation of fencing along the borders will also be severely impacted on the pristine biodiversity and ecosystem. It will not only activate human crisis but ecological crisis is also bound to erupt out of such exercise, it stated.
The Naga student body also feels that any move by the Center to terminate FMR and the entire border fencing program will imperil the situation of people in the region and the stature of mighty India before the world.
“As such, this representation demands review and reinstatement of FMR to avert the ignition of the strong spark of Civil Unrest in the North Eastern States of India,” cautioned the ANSAM.
On the other hand, while acknowledging the government of India for having concern over the escalating influx of illegal immigrants in the region, ANSAM stated that permanent sealing of the border is not an ideal solution for curbing illegal immigrants but it will cause another human crisis and is highly uncalled for.
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Suggesting mechanisms to curb the menace of illegal immigrants and insurgency, ANSAM said that strict implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP), updation of the National Registration of Citizen (NRC) and constitution of Population Commission will yield good results rather than border fencing and scrapping of FMR.
“Scrapping of FMR is not tenable and dehumanizing in nature because it will surely disrupt the traditional ties of people living on both sides of the border whose immovable assets spread across the border and their livelihood activities, the age-old shared relationship of social and custom amongst the people,” it said.
Ironically, the arbitrary borderline of the Indo-Mayanmar split the house of one Ang in Longwa, Konyak area. Consequently, the weight of its impacts will only fall upon the common civilians, it will amount to cross violation of human rights and the act of grave dehumanization, expressed ANSAM.
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While appreciating the initiative for restoration of peace over the persistent conflict in parts of Manipur warring between two ethnic groups the Meiteis and the Chin-Kuki-Mizo, ANSAM also mentioned that the decision to end FMR and installation of fencing in all 1,643 km by dragging along many North Eastern states is not justifiable nor the right approach for containing the Manipur crisis. But it will trigger a bigger problem without doing any good.
“Such a premature decision on the part of GoI to erect a physical fenced border along the whole stretches of the Indo-Mayanmar border between the house, families and community is illogical and for the Nagas, is nothing less than rubbing salt in the wounds,” it said.
ANSAM further reminded that the recent move of the GoI to scrap FMR and fencing borderlines is self-contradictory on the part of GoI. Because India is also one of the countries signatories and has ratified to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007 (UNDRP) wherein Article 36 recognizes the rights of Indigenous peoples dividedby international borders to maintain and develop contacts with their peoples across the border, particularly for spiritual, cultural and economic purposes, it added.
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