Members of various Naga tribes and civil society groups from across Nagaland took to the streets here Wednesday to protest the Centre’s decision to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR), reimpose Restricted and Protected Area Permits (RAP/PAP), and construct fencing along the India-Myanmar border.
The peaceful protest, organised by the Angami Public Organisation (APO) at Old MLA Junction, drew participants from all walks of life. Addressing the gathering, APO president Thejao Vihienuo said Nagas had been living and thriving in the India-Myanmar borderlands long before the formation of India. Therefore, he said the imposition of such measures by the Government of India was unjustified and an infringement on indigenous rights.
Vihienuo also asserted that arbitrary border demarcation carried out during the British colonial period had divided Naga people without consultation or consideration for their cultural and traditional unity—a division, which, he said, persists to this day.
Further, Vihienuo pointed out that FMR, which had once allowed cross-border movement up to 40 km, was reduced to 16 km in 2004 and then to 10 km in 2016, before being completely abolished in February 2024. He said border fencing would further fragment Naga communities.
APO president said that a 215-kilometre stretch along the Nagaland-Myanmar border would be fenced with nine gates manned by armed personnel. “People will have to obtain passes daily just to access their own fields,” he remarked.
Also, criticising the recent reinstatement of the Protected Area Permit (PAP) for foreigners, Vihienuo said that such policies would only worsen the hardships of the border-dwelling Nagas.
“This rally is only the beginning. Our democratic rights should not be mistaken for weakness,” he warned. APO president announced that a memorandum would be submitted to the union home minister through the governor of Nagaland.
Representing the people of Longwa village in Mon district, Khampei Konyak highlighted the lived realities of communities straddling the international border. He said Longwa village had existed long before India’s birth and continued to exist as one entity, even though it was now split between India and Myanmar by border pillars. “Pillar Nos. 154 and 155 run through the middle of the village. Half of our Angh’s house is in India and the other half in Myanmar,” he explained.
Konyak said that despite accusations of cross-border arms smuggling, villagers struggled even for basic necessities. “They say we smuggle arms, but where will we get the money to buy guns when there’s not enough food to eat?” he questioned. He also raised concerns over plans to build a fence near the Arunachal border, which he claimed was discovered only days earlier. He urged political parties to join the movement.
Also, sharing his concerns, P. Shingya from Dan village in Noklak district called the restrictions a form of “inhuman treatment” against the Naga people. “Before India or Burma were named, our forefathers were already living on these hills,” he said.
He recalled how, in 1971, border pillars were secretly erected at Pangsha without any communication with local villagers. “We removed the pillars twice, and when they returned the third time, they warned us not to remove them again,” he said.
Shingya alleged during a 2016 survey, that villagers were misled and told it was for road construction, only to later discover that the infrastructure was meant for fencing. “We protested and were even ready for physical confrontation,” he said. He claimed that 6,500 hectares of land were being taken away, affecting the region’s agriculture and livestock practices, which were critical to the villagers’ livelihoods.
Timikha Koza, addressing the legal aspects of the issue, said that Nagas were the original inhabitants of these lands and have governed them based on tradition and customary law long before modern nation-states came into existence.
“FMR is not just a policy; it is closely tied with colonial and post-colonial injustices,” he noted. Koza warned that fencing would criminalise the act of Nagas living freely in their own ancestral lands. “Half of our land lies in Myanmar. How can we be expected to seek permission to enter our own land?” he asked.
Stating that political decisions cannot override the rights of indigenous peoples, he urged the Government of India to engage with local communities before implementing such policies. “People have not committed any crime. They have the right to live, work and move freely in their own land,” Koza asserted.
Delivering a solidarity message on behalf of all tribal unions in Kohima, Shiwoto Wotsa, president of Sumi Hoho Kohima, reaffirmed the collective support for the Naga communities affected by the scrapping of FMR and the ongoing border fencing.
He said that Nagas on both sides of the India-Myanmar border had coexisted peacefully for generations, sharing familial, cultural, and economic ties. “The introduction of these new restrictions has disrupted centuries of coexistence and created emotional, mental and physical suffering,” he said.
Wotsa appealed to the Government of India to reconsider its decision and called for the restoration of FMR, the halting of border fencing, and the revocation of PAP/RAP regimes.
Thanking all the participating civil society groups, tribal hohos, and individuals for their support, SHK president said “Let this rally serve as a powerful reminder to the Government of India that the voices of the indigenous people cannot be ignored.”
The rally concluded with the submission of a memorandum to be forwarded to the union home minister, voicing the collective demands and grievances of the Naga people.
Earlier, invocation was offered by Kohima Ao Baptist Arogo senior pastor, Rev Sentisashi Aier.
Memorandum to Union Home Minister
Following the rally, the Hohos jointly submitted a representation to the union home minister through the governor of Nagaland, strongly opposing recent policy decisions of the Government of India regarding the India-Myanmar border.
The tribal leaders demanded an immediate halt to the ongoing plans to erect border fencing, the restoration of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) in its original form, and the withdrawal of the Protected Area Permit (PAP) system in Nagaland.
The representation, endorsed by 19 tribal leaders representing various communities residing in the State capital Kohima, expressed deep concern over what they termed as “far-reaching consequences” for the indigenous Naga people inhabiting the India-Myanmar borderlands.
Referring to Union home minister Amit Shah’s February 6, 2024 announcement to scrap FMR and implement border fencing, the tribal leaders stated that such decisions would result in the uprooting of the Naga people from their ancestral lands.
The representation pointed out that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued revised guidelines on December 24, 2024, introducing a ‘border pass’ system that limited cross-border movement to 10 km on each side.
Only nine entry and exit points were designated along Nagaland’s 215-km border with Myanmar. Just days earlier, on December 17, the MHA also withdrew the relaxation granted to Nagaland under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958, making it mandatory for foreigners to obtain PAP/RAP to enter the state.
“These back-to-back decisions expose a coordinated attempt to restrict and regulate the movement of the Naga indigenous people in their own ancestral lands,” the tribal bodies asserted. They warned that any indigenous Naga who enters India beyond the 10-km limit could now be prosecuted under the Foreigners Act, calling the move a direct assault on their historical and cultural rights.
Highlighting their historical rights, the tribal leaders emphasized that the indigenous Nagas had established their homeland in the Naga Hills long before the formation of the modern Indian nation-state.
They stated that the imposition of colonial-era international borders had arbitrarily divided the Naga people without their consent, and they had never accepted those imposed boundaries.
According to them, FMR was originally conceived to respect the traditional way of life of borderland communities, allowing free movement up to 40 km on either side, later reduced to 16 km in 2018, and now curtailed to just 10 km.
Drawing a parallel with colonial oppression, the tribal leaders remarked that the present-day policies of the Government of India reminded them of the colonial rulers whose primary interests were territorial control, not the welfare of indigenous communities.
The signatories strongly demanded the revocation of the new ‘border pass’ system, calling it “unacceptable” likening it to “asking permission to move within one’s own house.”
The tribal leaders also reiterated their opposition to the border fencing project, saying it would further divide their land and people, thereby violating their indigenous rights. “We are against the idea of dividing our ancestral land,” they declared.
They also urged the central government to restore the FMR in its original form.
In addition, the tribal leaders called for the immediate withdrawal of PAP/RAP system in Nagaland.
They cautioned that PAP, when seen alongside the new border pass system, formed a “lethal combination” that could be misused against innocent people and pose serious threats to their lives. They further warned that imposition of PAP would adversely impact Nagaland’s growing tourism industry, particularly the inflow of foreign tourists attending cultural festivals.
In the light of the above, the hohos urged the Government of India to give due consideration to their concerns and take immediate corrective measures.
The signatories to the memorandum include Thejao Vihienuo (President, Angami Public Organization), Khongjah Konyak (President, Konyak Union Kohima), KN Mhonthung Lotha (Chairman, Kohima Lotha Hoho), Dozhohü Tunyi (President, Chakhesang Hoho Kohima), Thsapongse Sangtam (President, Sangtam Union Kohima), K Gwanilo Himb (President, Rengma Public Organisation Kohima), Tsüthong (President, Tikhir Union Kohima), K Onglingaku Chang (President, Chang Union Kohima), Thanghoi Lam (President, Khiamniungan Union Kohima), Kangdi Maram (President, Maram Union Kohima), DB Kaisü (President, Poumai Union Kohima), James Luiram (President, Tangkhul Union Kohima), Akum Yimkhiung (President, Yimkhiung Union Kohima), Wachusie Katiry (President, Pochury Union Kohima), Neiba Newmai (President, Nagaland Zeliang People’s Organisation Kohima), T Chubayanger (President, Kohima Ao Union), Imti Phom (President, Phom Union Kohima), K Shiwoto Wotsa (President, Kohima Sumi Hoho), and Dihe Mao (President, Mao Union Kohima).