Amit Shah on Thursday said that the scraping of the Free Movement Regime agreement between India and Myanmar is to ensure the internal security of the country.
Digital Desk: Amid the growing refugee influx from Myanmar to neighboring Indian states, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the end of the Free Movement Regime(FMR) with Myanmar.
Amit Shah on Thursday said that the scraping of the Free Movement Regime agreement between India and Myanmar is to ensure the internal security of the country. Shah on Thursday said that the step is “to ensure the internal security of the country and to maintain the demographic structure of India’s North Eastern States bordering Myanmar.” He further added, “Since the Ministry of External Affairs is currently in the process of scrapping it, MHA has recommended the immediate suspension of the FMR.”
The decision came after he announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday that the central government has decided to construct a fence along the entire 1643-kilometer-long Indo-Myanmar border.
Indian states Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland share a total border area of 1643 km with Myanmar out of which only 10 km is already fenced, Amit Shah said on Tuesday. The FMR came as Narendra Modi government’s Act East Policy in 2018 to encourage historical and cultural bonds between the two countries.
According to a recent statement from the Manipur Officials, several thousands of refugees have taken shelter in the state. Manipur is also vulnerable to the influx of rebels due to the ongoing military coup in Myanmar.
On Tuesday, Amit Shah informed that “Two pilot projects of fencing through a Hybrid Surveillance System (HSS) are under execution. They will fence a stretch of 1 km each in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. Additionally, fence works covering approx 20 km in Manipur have also been approved, and the work will start soon.”
Welcoming “the efforts of the Home Minister”, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “This policy (scraping of FMR) along with the ongoing fencing of the Indo-Myanmar border will help build a full-proof mechanism to check infiltration and insurgency in the North East.”
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