Yimkhiung Tribal Council (YTC), the apex tribal body representing the Yimkhiung Nagas, organised a peaceful protest rally at its headquarters here on Saturday to express strong opposition to the proposed India-Myanmar border fencing and the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) by the Government of India.
The demonstration saw participation from hundreds of people, including school children and elders, who held placards some of which read “Nagas live in India and Myanmar,” “We oppose border fencing plan,” and “Restore Free Movement Regime.”
The protest was described as “a non-violent assertion” of community’s indigenous rights and historical connections that transcend the international boundary.
As part of the rally, a memorandum addressed to the Union Home Minister was submitted through the additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Pungro.
In the memorandum, the YTC expressed strong resentment against the Centre’s February 6, 2024 announcement regarding the abolition of FMR and its proposal to erect fencing along the India-Myanmar border in Nagaland.
Highlighting their historical and ancestral rights, YTC stated that the international boundary pillars separating Yimkhiung Nagas were arbitrary and imaginary, and stood as evidence of the forced division of their community.
“The territorial integrity of the Yimkhiung Nagas existed from time immemorial,” YTC said. It affirmed that any further attempts to cement this separation through physical fencing would be unjust and unacceptable.
Further, YTC pointed out that people living on either side of the border shared common ancestry and land. It argued that erection of a border fence would violate their traditional, customary, and human rights. “We will never allow ourselves to be deprived of our social, cultural, martial, and economic ties by this artificial line,” the memorandum read.
Calling for immediate restoration of the free movement regime, the YTC warned that scrapping the arrangement would impose untold hardship on communities residing across the border. The council emphasized that many people in Myanmar’s Naga areas relied on their Indian counterparts for essential needs such as economic support, healthcare, education, and social interaction.
“The idea of inhuman border fencing will permanently divide siblings on both sides of the border,” YTC stated. It also warned of long-term consequences of such a move on indigenous solidarity and survival.
YTC further expressed opposition to the proposed border pass system, saying it would restrict the natural movement of indigenous people across their own ancestral lands. “This system disrespects the indigenous rights of our people and is an affront to our freedom,” YTC said.
The memorandum, signed by YTC executive chairman Makezho and president Throngso Yimkhiung, therefore appealed to the Centre to reconsider its decisions on border fencing and FMR, and to take into account the historical realities, rights, and livelihood concerns of the Yimkhiung people.