Arunachal Pradesh chief minister praises Centre’s move to fencing India-Myanmar border

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu welcomed the Center’s decision to erect fencing along the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border and said the move will curb the movement of criminals across the border.

Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced the decision to fencing the India-Myanmar border, which may effectively end the free movement regime (FMR) prevailing along the porous border.

The FMR allows people living near the India-Myanmar border to venture up to 16 kilometers into each other’s territory without any documentation.

The 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, which passes through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, currently has FMRs. It was launched in 2018 as part of India’s Look East Policy.

Arunachal Pradesh shares a 520-km border with Myanmar.

“This is a great step in the right direction to make our borders foolproof. Thank you Honorable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and Honorable Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji for cordoning off our borders along Myanmar,” Khandu on X Post.

In a separate social media post, Khandu said state-of-the-art surveillance would check the movements of bad actors.

“The Modi government is committed to establishing an impenetrable border. It has decided to build a fence along the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border. A patrol track will also be laid on the border for better monitoring,” Shah posted on X on Tuesday.

Out of the total length of the border, a 10-km stretch in Moreh, Manipur, has been fenced off. In addition, two pilot projects for fencing via Hybrid Surveillance Systems (HSS) are currently being implemented.

They will put up a kilometer-long fence each in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. In addition, the Indian Home Minister added that the fencing project covering an area of ​​about 20 kilometers in Manipur has also been approved and will start soon.

The porous borders have facilitated the northeastern insurgent groups remaining in Myanmar to carry out their non-social activities in three districts of eastern Arunachal Pradesh – Tirap, Changlang and Lungdin.

There have been numerous reports of rebel groups kidnapping and killing civilians who fled to neighboring countries after committing crimes.

After the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in 2020, border trade between India and Myanmar along the Bangxiu Pass in Changlang County in the northeast came to a standstill.

On September 26, 1950, the two governments signed an agreement exempting indigenous hill tribes from both sides living within 40 kilometers of the border from passport requirements for trade purposes.

India and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding in 2012 to set up border caps along the international border at Bangsu Pass to facilitate trade. Therefore, the two countries established a border hat for trade purposes.

Tangli Mossang, Changlang district’s Lampong trade development officer, said 62 duty-free goods were allowed for trade between the two countries, including food, vegetables, tableware, cosmetics, 100 cc motorcycles and cement.

Local councilor Laisam Sima said that with mutual understanding, the Myanmar state administration and government have allowed border trade at Pangsau Pass on the 10th, 20th and 30th of every month and at Nampong every Friday.

Changlang Deputy Commissioner Sunny Kumar Singh said border trade was suspended after the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 and has not resumed since then.

“The fencing of the India-Myanmar border will enhance our national security and will reduce negative issues related to illegal movement across the border,” Singh added.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)