Nagaland Indigenous People’s Forum (NIFP) has expressed strong opposition to the decision of Government of India to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and to fence the India-Myanmar border. In a press release, NIPF president Dr. T. Lima Jamir and general secretary Richard Haolai stated that the government has announced the decision without taking into consideration the appeals and oppositions made by the people’s representatives and civil society organisations against the scraping of the FMR and border fencing.
The forum questioned the Centre whether it was aware of the history, custom, culture of the indigenous people living in the “imaginary border region” between India and Myanmar? NIPF said the Centre should be aware that people from the same family live on both side of the “imaginary border line” which passes through the middle of the ethnic villages in some locations like Longwa Village in Mon district where half of the Chief’s house was on Indian side and the other half on Myanmar side. “This unfair border line drawn without any consultation or against the will of the indigenous people has been one of the factors that added to conflicts with the government on either side of the border line,” NIPF said.
The forum asserted that there might have been times when the people in power acted on their own will and the people were forced to accept it. However, NIPF said that such act may not be possible or acceptable today in this civilised world. “Especially, when the Union of India said to be the biggest democracy, it is expected that the will of the people is heard and the will of the people in power is not imposed upon the people undemocratically,” the forum added.
NIPF has, therefore, informed the Central government that “any such forceful move” within the Nagaland stretch would be considered as “anti-people.” The forum maintained that the government of India should rather “dig harder” and resolve the “Indo-Naga” political issue before taking any further steps to scrap the FMR and fencing the India-Myanmar border in the Nagaland stretch.