PRO clarifies NSF border stoppage

DIMAPUR, SEP 20 (NPN): Spokesperson & PRO, Ministry of Defence (Manipur, Nagaland, and Southern Arunachal Pradesh) has issued a clarification regarding recent media reports claiming that a Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) delegation was stopped from travelling to Myanmar at Avangkhu in Meluri district, stating that the action was taken due to a lack of required authorization for crossing the international border and not on account of the delegation’s identity or stated purpose.
In a press note, PRO stated that reports published by certain media houses, were published without seeking clarification from competent authorities or understanding existing border policies.
According to PRO, eight persons in three vehicles arrived at the designated crossing point at approximately 11.30 a.m. on September 19, intending to cross the Indo-Myanmar border towards Tsera in Myanmar.
However, when asked for the mandatory documents required for authorized cross-border movement, the delegation was unable to produce a valid Border Pass or official permission issued by the competent authority.
PRO emphasized that the issue was purely one of regulatory compliance rather than a denial of cultural or people-to-people contact.
It expressed regret over social media and media platforms being used to portray the incident as an attack on Naga identity, thereby turning a specific border-regulation matter into a community-versus-security-force narrative. Clarifying the legal framework, PRO reiterated that cross-border movement under Free Movement Regime/Regulated Movement Regime facility applies strictly to eligible residents of villages located within 10 km of the Indo-Myanmar border on either side. Since the NSF delegation had travelled from the state capital, Kohima, it was not legally authorized to claim automatic entitlement to cross the border based merely on reference letters or a proposed cultural-exchange programme.
PRO noted that a reference letter or recommendation from a civil organization does not constitute valid authorization to cross an international boundary.
Highlighting that the current system is not intended to prevent legitimate interaction, PRO pointed out that 16,428 Border Passes have been issued to date, proving that regulated cross-border movement continues smoothly when prescribed conditions are met.
PRO appealed to media houses to exercise due diligence and seek proper clarification on sensitive issues like border crossings before publishing unverified information.