AIZAWL, Jan 27: Mizoram’s apex student body, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging the Centre to reconsider its decision to ‘scrap’ the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and fence the Indo-Myanmar border.
The letter, sent through governor VK Singh, said the FMR with Myanmar has played a vital role in preserving and fostering the Mizo way of life as well as cultural ties between ethnic Mizos of the two countries by facilitating cross-border contact, economic activities, sharing of resources and participation in each other’s cultural, religious ceremonies and community events.
“The proposed termination of the FMR and the fencing of the Indo-Myanmar border threaten to sever these bonds, depriving us of our cultural rights and access to essential resources. This decision disregards the geographical, historical, and economic interconnectedness of our communities, which have long transcended political boundaries,” the letter said.
“Such actions would not only infringe upon the rights of indigenous communities but also jeopardise the cultural and economic fabric of our lives,” it said.
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The letter also said India was a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), 2007 and is bound by Article 36 of the UNDRIP, which affirms the right of indigenous peoples to maintain and develop cross-border relation.
“It is disheartening to witness the world’s largest democracy act contrary to this principle, undermining the rights of its indigenous people,” the letter said. (PTI)
