Ukhrul: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday has said that the Modi government has decided to construct the entire 1643 kilometer long Indo-Myanmar border.
Amith Shah made the announcement over X on Tuesday exactly at 6:12 PM, ending speculation that the union government was reconsidering the construction of the porous border fencing owing to the many oppositions from different section of ethnic groups in Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram states.
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The Indo-Myanmar border runs for 1,643 km in the four states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Cutting to the chase, Amit Shah wrote, “The Modi government is committed to building impenetrable borders. It has decided to construct a fence along the entire 1643-kilometer-long Indo-Myanmar border…”
The tweet further wrote, “To facilitate better surveillance, a patrol track along the border will also be paved. Out of the total border length, a 10 km stretch in Moreh, Manipur, has already been fenced. Furthermore, two pilot projects of fencing through a Hybrid Surveillance System (HSS) are under execution. They will fence a stretch of 1 km each in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. Additionally, fence works covering approx 20 km in Manipur have also been approved, and the work will start soon.”
Fencing a border along the Indo-Myanmar has been staunchly opposed by the Nagas of Nagaland, Manipur and Myanmar, including the Kuki-Zo communities of Manipur and Mizos of Mizoram.
The Nagas in the Eastern region had vehemently denounced the recent actions taken by the government of India over the decision to fence and bifurcate Naga villages, fields, and farmlands between India and Myanmar, calling it oppressive and demanded the withdrawal of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the proposed reconstruction of border fencing, announced by Amit Shah on 20th January 2024. The Lahe declaration was passed by the Naga Students’ Organisation (Sagaing Region Office, Myanmar) on February 2, 2024.
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The United Naga Council, All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) the apex civil bodies of the Nagas in Manipur including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum; The Naga Students’ Federation, Global Naga Forum, Naga Hoho and the Naga Indigenous People’s Forum had voiced strong opposition against the proposed move, including the Naga People’s Front legislator Achumbemo Kikon and Home Minister Y Patton, Rising people’s Party among others.
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Notably the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), also dubbed the mother of all insurgency in the Northeast region vehemently opposed the “recent move of the Government of India to abolish the time honored Free Movement Regime (FMR).”
The NSCN-IM had in a statement on January 24, 2024 said, “All said and done, we are totally against boundary fencing in our lands that violates our rights as one family. Simply put, NSCN will not allow the proposed boundary fencing that further divides the Naga family as a nation”.
Related | UNC appeals to halt construction of Indo-Myanmar border fencing & reinstate FMR in Naga areas
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