IMPHAL, Oct 23: BJP ally NPF on Wednesday said it was against the proposal for fencing the India-Myanmar border in the Naga-dominated areas of Manipur.
The Naga People’s Front (NPF) is a part of the BJP-led government in the strife-torn state.
In a statement, NPF general secretary Honreikhui Kashung said the party opposes fencing the border in the Naga-dominated areas “without correcting the traditional boundaries”.
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The Cabinet Committee on Security has, in principle, approved the construction of border fencing and roads along the 1,643-km international border between India and Myanmar at an approximate cost of Rs 31,000 crore.
About 10 km of fencing has already been completed near Moreh and work is underway to fence another 21 km of the border in other areas of Manipur.
The Centre has already scrapped the India-Myanmar Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed people residing close to the border to venture 16 km into each other’s territory without any documents. It was implemented in 2018 as part of India’s Act East policy.
The India-Myanmar border passes through Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
The NPF, meanwhile, lauded the resolution of the Hill Areas Committee, which urged the government to conduct the long-pending Autonomous District Council elections.
It, however, asserted that it opposes “any unconstitutional proposal which hamper the smooth functioning of administration”.
The Hill Area Committee, in its October 14 resolution, also proposed that to run the administration of the ADCs till elections were conducted, committees consisting of 20 members should be constituted. Among them shall be “former ADC members, experts in local self-government, eminent persons, intellectuals, and two government nominees”.
The proposal was also condemned by Congress, which called it “unconstitutional, illegal and void of any source of law from the Constitution”.
Ethnic violence started in Manipur on May 3 last year after a tribal solidarity march in the hill districts of the state to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
Since then, over 220 people belonging to both the Kuki and Meitei communities and security personnel have been killed.
Southern Tangkhul Students’ Union (STSU) and Eastern Tangkhul Students’ Union (ETSU) on Wednesday warned of launching various forms of democratic agitations and non-cooperation to the Central and State Governments if the later forcibly carry out fencing works along the Indo-Myanmar border in Kamjong district of Manipur.
In a press meet held at Manipur Press Club in Imphal, Eastern Tangkhul Students’ Union (ETSU) president Wungnaothan Chithung reacted sharply to the Central and State Governments’ plan/policy to fence the Indo-Myanmar border stretch in Kamjong district.
He said that an emergent situation has arisen out of the Central Government authority’s issuance of a letter on October 17 last, wherein it instructed the competent authority to undertake preparation of DPR for complete fencing of Indo-Myanmar border stretch in the State of Manipur.
Chithung then said that the said official letter has objectionable contents which made them constrained to issue their disapproval and compelled to raise pertinent questions like the reference of “Chassad/Kamjong”.
The student union president then asked whether the Central government is pursuing certain agendas to cause a rift and misunderstanding between certain communities by inserting certain objectionable contents in the official letter.
He also said that STSU and ETSU have reaffirmed their stand against the fencing of the Indo-Myanmar Border stretch of Kamjong district without the prior consultation and consent of the concerned Tangkhul villages whom they claimed as the actual owners and undisputed stakeholders of the land.
Chithung conveyed that the two student organizations submitted a joint representation to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on September 20 last, declaring their stiff opposition to the permanent fencing of Indo-Myanmar international along the stretch falling within the jurisdiction of Kamjong district in Manipur until the rectification of the alleged arbitrarily drawn faulty international boundary besides appealing to halt the fencing process.
Chithung also said that the present governments in the Centre and in the State are akin “to rub salt to the wound” when the “faulty international border line segregates the brothers and sisters of Manipur by making a further move to scrap the FMR and install permanent border fencing”.
Saying that Ukhrul and Kamjong districts are predominantly inhabited by the Tangkhul Nagas by sharing a considerable length of international border with Myanmar, he maintained that the Tangkhul Naga community, from time immemorial, has been living across the border sharing common family, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, fraternal and economic ties.
While appreciating the efforts of the New Delhi taking measures concerning the escalating influx of illegal immigrants in the region, the student union president noted that the step taken may prove to be effective in one aspect of crises, but has the potential to set in greater and gross violation of human rights and an act of grave dehumanization.
He pointed out that the Central and State governments, with unlimited resources, should adopt effective ways and means to deal with the pressing issue by updating the National Registration of Citizens (NRC), constitution of Population Commission, strict implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP), among other mechanisms.
He added that the erection of fencing along the borders will also have a severe impact on the rich biodiversity and ecosystem. (Inputs from PTI and NNN)
