The Eastern Flank of the NSCN-IM has vowed to resist the ‘grievous ploy’ of the Union Government’s Indo-Myanmar border fencing amidst the ongoing Naga peace talks. Lieut Gen (Retd) HS Ramsan, VC, stated, “We will go all out against the grievous ploy of the Union Government while the Indo-Naga peace talks are still ongoing.” The statement also declared that no Naga citizen will cooperate or collude with the proposed fencing initiative, and no contractors should bid for the contract work. Ramsan further emphasized that no wage earners should work on the fencing construction, stating, “If anyone is seen defying the above guidelines, the risk will be his or her own.”
According to Ramsan, the 56-year-old Free Movement Regime (FMR) agreement along the Indo-Myanmar border, which was scrapped by the Union Government of India earlier this year, had honored the history of Naga brotherhood and acknowledged the arbitrary nature of the border pillars. However, Ramsan noted that after the sudden scrapping of the FMR, the GoI initiated border fencing construction along the Indo-Myanmar border, which he called “a devious design” to divide the Naga brothers forever. “It is therefore simply unacceptable,” he stated, explaining, “When the Indo-Burma Treaty of 1952 on Border Affairs was signed, the Nagas were neither consulted nor did we give our consent.”
“We will remain free in our land, and it is our inalienable right to live as one united people. Let it be known that we do not need any consent from any government entities to move freely in our ancestral land. The Eastern Flank of the Naga Army has taken this as a serious threat to the Naga people and their land. We will never remain mute spectators,” he added.