Nagaland Rallies Against Scrapping of Free Movement Regime, Border Fencing
The Yimkhiung Tribal Council (YTC) organized a rally in Pungro Town on April 12, opposing the Indian government’s decision to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and construct fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border in Nagaland. The protest saw participation from various sections of society, including students, elders, and concerned citizens.
The rally’s primary focus was on the Government of India’s February 6, 2024, announcement to abolish the FMR, a policy allowing Yimkhiung Nagas in Nagaland to freely move into areas across the border in Myanmar. The YTC submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister through the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Pungro, highlighting concerns that the border pillars artificially dividing the Yimkhiung people, who have ancestral land predating modern political boundaries, would further strain social and cultural ties between communities on both sides of the border.
The memorandum emphasized that the proposed border fencing would alienate communities already separated by an "imaginary line." The YTC called for the immediate restoration of the Free Movement Regime in its original form, stating that many Yimkhiung Nagas in Myanmar depend on their kin in Nagaland for essential needs, including education, healthcare, and economic support. The protest group also expressed apprehension that the proposed border fencing would permanently separate siblings on both sides of the country.
The council strongly opposed the introduction of a border pass system, arguing that it would infringe upon indigenous rights and traditional freedoms. "By this new system of border pass, it will take away the freedom of our people to move freely in one’s land that lies on both sides, disrespecting Indigenous rights of our people," the YTC stated in its memorandum, appealing for the cancellation of the border pass system. The YTC urged the Indian government to reconsider its decisions on both the border fencing project and the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime, emphasizing that dividing the Yimkhiung people would be unjust and strike at the core of indigenous rights and coexistence along the Indo-Myanmar border.
The YTC’s rally marks the Ni-guid Khóbur í-beta ("to raise one’s voice") in Naga, emphasizing the unity and resilience of the Yimkhiung people in standing together against policies perceived as harmful to their rights and traditions. This rallying cry resonates with the hopes of maintaining cultural cohesion and preserving indigenous rights in the face of government policies attempting to reshape the Indo-Myanmar border.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/divided-by-imaginary-boundary-united-by-blood
Category : Nagaland
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Publish Date: 2025-04-12 23:58:00
