DIMAPUR — The
Centre has reportedly sent communications to the government of Nagaland and
other northeastern states that share a border with Myanmar, directing them to
implement an amended and stricter Free Movement Regime (FMR) system.
ANagaland government
ofifcial confirmed to Eastern Mirror that it was in receipt of the new
order.
Under the latest guidelines, the travel radius for residents
on either side of the Indo-Myanmar border has been reduced from 16 km to 10 km.
Individuals crossing the border will now need to apply for a “border pass” at
designated crossing points and produce documents proving that they reside
within the 10-km radius of the border.
The Assam Rifles will then verify the documents, followed by
a security check by the state police and a health check by health department
officials. Once cleared, the forms will be uploaded to the Indo-Myanmar Border
portal, where biometrics will be recorded. A border pass featuring the
applicant’s photograph and a QR code will then be issued.
The pass will remain valid for seven days, after which pass
holders must return it to the same crossing point.
This new system, however, is facing opposition from
communities living along the border areas in Nagaland.
According to Akham Howang, general secretary of the Konyak
Union Myanmar, the Assam Rifles informed community leaders about the new
guidelines during a coordination meeting in mid-December last year.
“But we have not accepted it,” he informed.
He said that reducing the radius to 10 km is unfair,
especially since the Konyak traditional lands extend far beyond even the
original 16 km limit.
“This is not a matter of applying for permits or passes once
in a few months. This is our daily life. We travel to Longwa, Mon, Tuensang,
etc., to access our basic necessities,” he explained.
Howang added that the community has urged the army to retain
the 16-km coverage on humanitarian grounds.
Further, he said that there will be discussions with the
Konyak Union in Mon and the state government to come up with an alternative
system that does not infringe on their right to move freely in their ancestral
lands.
“The KU in Mon is more or less on the same page, but further
consultations are needed,” he said.
Efforts to contact members of the Konyak Union in Mon for
their comments were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
While no fencing activities have been initiated in the
region at present, Hongwang went on to state that the Konyak community in the
border areas has resolved not to “allow any border surveys to take place in
Konyak land.”
