Nagaland assembly adopts resolution on FMR; asks Centre to reconsider decision

Kohima: The Nagaland legislative assembly on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution against the central government’s recent decision to fence the Indo-Myanmar border and suspend the Free Movement Regime (FMR) agreement with the neighbouring nation, people aware of the matter said. The 60-member assembly adopted the resolution voice vote.

With this, Nagaland has become the second state after Mizoram to have adopted such a resolution. On Wednesday, the Mizoram assembly adopted a resolution opposing the scrapping of FMR.

Earlier this month, Union home minister Amit Shah said that the central government has recommended an immediate suspension of the free movement regime between India and Myanmar that allowed people from both sides to travel 16 km into each other’s territory without paperwork. Hill tribes with kin across the 1,643km boundary would freely go back and forth under the regime.

India shares a 1,643 km border with Myanmar, running through four of its northeastern states, of which 215 km is within Nagaland. The FMR allows people in the border areas of both countries to travel up to 16 km into each other’s territory without a visa and stay for a limited period of time.

The state government resolution moved by deputy chief minister Yanthungo Patton in the ongoing assembly session on Friday highlighted that the Naga people live on either side of the international border and scrapping of FMR and fencing the border would seriously disrupt the age-old historical, social, tribal, and economic ties of the Naga people.

These measures will cause immense hardship and inconvenience, and also agony to the people living in and around the border areas because the traditional land-holding system straddles the international border in many areas, and people have to cross the international border daily for their normal cultivation activities, the resolution says.

“…these measures will seriously disrupt the age-old historical, social, tribal, and economic ties of the Naga people living on both sides of the international border,” the resolution says.

“In view of the special and unique situation mentioned above, this House, hereby, resolves to appeal to the Government of India to reconsider its decision, and to abandon the plan of suspending the FMR and fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border,” it further stated.

The House also resolved to appeal to the Centre to work out regulations for the movement of people across the borders in close consultation with the people inhabiting there, and for suitably bringing in the village council authorities concerned in the entire system of regulations.