Ukhrul, April 12: The Yimkhiung Tribal Council (YTC) on Saturday organised a peaceful public rally at Pungro Town’s Local Ground to protest against the Government of India’s proposal to construct fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border in Nagaland and its decision to revoke the Free Movement Regime (FMR).
According to the YTC, 35 Yimkhiung villages fall within Myanmar, and the proposed fencing could result in the separation of families, loss of access to ancestral lands, and the breakdown of long-standing social ties.
The rally, joined by students and leaders from various tribal and public organizations, aimed to raise awareness about the socio-cultural and economic implications such fencing would have on the Yimkhiung Naga community. Participants held placards with powerful messages such as:
“Divided by imaginary boundary, united by blood”
“Nagas live in India and Myanmar”
“Don’t divide our people and our land”
“Stop border fencing plan”
“Revoke new border pass system”
Following the rally, a memorandum addressed to the Union Home Minister was submitted via the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Pungro, expressing strong opposition to the border fencing and the introduction of a new border pass system, while appealing for the complete restoration of the FMR.
In the memorandum, the YTC emphasised that the international border pillars were arbitrarily drawn, leading to an unnatural and forced division of the Yimkhiung people. “Our people on either side of the border share ancestral land, and the idea of erecting a border fence is tantamount to snatching away our traditional, customary, and human rights,” the document stated.
The Council argued that revoking the FMR would result in serious and untold hardship for border communities, who rely on one another for sustenance, education, healthcare, and economic activities. The newly introduced border pass system, they said, would further restrict movement in their own ancestral lands and violate the indigenous rights of the Yimkhiung people.
The memorandum concluded with a fervent appeal to the Union Government to:
– Reconsider the border fencing proposal
– Cancel the border pass system, and
– Restore the Free Movement Regime (FMR) in its original form.
The rally was chaired by Y. Makezho, Executive Chairman of YTC, and featured a keynote address by Throngso Yimkhiung, President of YTC. The event also saw active participation from leaders of several grassroots organisations, including the Public Forum Pungro Sub-Division (PFPSD), GBs Union Pungro Sub-Division, Yimkhiung GBs Arihakho (YGBA), Yimkhiung Akherű Arihakho (YAA), Yimkhiung Youth Organisation (YYO), and Yimkhiung Women Organisation (YWO).
The day concluded with a unified and passionate call to preserve ancestral heritage, uphold indigenous rights, and protect the integrity of communities that have long resisted division by politically imposed boundaries.