Naga student bodies have reaffirmed their stance against the forced fencing of the Indo-Myanmar border (IMB) along the stretch of Kamjong district without prior consultation and consent from the concerned Tangkhul villages.
President of Tangkhul Katamnao Long (Tangkhul Southern Students’ Union) Yarchuiso Kashung told the media at the Manipur Press Club in Majorkhul, Imphal, on Wednesday that the student body, along with Zingsho Katamnao Long (Eastern Students’ Union), had jointly submitted a memorandum to CM N Biren Singh on September 20.
The memorandum appealed for a halt to the border fencing process and declared their steadfast opposition to the ongoing permanent fencing of the Indo-Myanmar international border along the stretch within the jurisdiction of Kamjong district, Manipur, until the rectification of the arbitrarily drawn and faulty international boundary.
He said that the official letters regarding the border fencing contained objectionable content, which prompted the people to issue disapproval and raise pertinent questions.
He also pointed out that tagging Chassad village as a Kuki village under the jurisdiction of Sampui, a Tangkhul village in Kamjong district, was irrelevant and uncalled for.
“Is the Central government pursuing a certain agenda to cause a rift and misunderstanding between communities by inserting objectionable content in official letters?” he questioned.
He explained that when the agreement on the international boundary was signed on March 10, 1967, between India and Burma (now Myanmar), Kabaw Valley, known as the rice bowl of Manipur, was ceded to the latter.
The two student bodies appreciated New Delhi’s efforts in addressing the escalating influx of illegal immigrants into the region. However, they argued that scrapping the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and permanently sealing the international border is not a tangible solution to curbing the influx from neighboring Myanmar.
Scrapping the FMR and erecting border fencing may be effective in addressing some aspects of the crisis but have the potential to create greater issues and violate human rights, he added.
Instead of scrapping the FMR, both governments should adopt more effective means of addressing the pressing issue, such as updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC), establishing a Population Commission, and strictly implementing the Inner Line Permit (ILP), he said.
Yarchuiso also cautioned that they would launch various forms of democratic agitation and initiate non-cooperation against the government if the fencing work is carried out forcibly.
ALSO READ: Naga students conduct recce in border areas
