Entire India-Myanmar border to be fenced in ten years: Report

The 1,643-km-long border with Myanmar will be completely enclosed with an “anti-cut, anti-climb” fence within the next ten years, according to a report in The Hindu citing government officials and a parliamentary panel report. The project, announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in February 2024, has gained momentum over the past few months, officials stated.

Between April 1 and December 31, 2024, Rs 114.09 crore has been allocated for fencing construction and company operating bases for the Assam Rifles, the central armed police force (CAPF) responsible for securing the Myanmar border.

“The technology is entirely indigenous and developed by our own engineers. It has anti-cut and anti-climb features which will deter illegal infiltration and secure the border,” said a senior official of the Assam Rifles.

A parliamentary panel report on March 10 highlighted that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved a Rs 31,000 crore proposal in March 2024 to fence the Indo-Myanmar border and construct roads to improve connectivity for Assam Rifles’ company operating bases (COBs). “For creating infrastructure along the IMB (India-Myanmar Border), the CCS granted in-principle approval for construction of fence and 64 border roads… at a total cost of Rs 31,031.9 crore,” the report stated.

The model is expected to be replicated along India’s international borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, an official added. However, the proposal has faced strong opposition from Naga and Kuki-Zo communities, who argue that the fencing will disrupt ethnic and familial ties of people living on both sides of the border.

India and Myanmar share an unfenced border with a Free Movement Regime (FMR) that allows people to visit families within 10 km of the border without a visa or passport. Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has linked ongoing ethnic violence, which has resulted in over 250 deaths since May 2023, to unregulated cross-border movement. Until last year, only 10 km of the border near Moreh in Manipur had been fenced.

On March 1, Amit Shah directed the Assam Rifles to construct a 10-km fence on either side of each border gate or crossing point under the revised FMR. Out of 43 Myanmar border crossing points under the revised FMR, 22 are operational, including 11 in Manipur.

“Surveillance cameras will be installed along the fence for better monitoring. Border gates and fencing will ensure accountability for individuals crossing the border. So far, around 9,000 people have used the border gates to enter Manipur, with very few cases of overstaying,” said another government official.

For entry into India from Myanmar, individuals must report at designated crossing points, fill out a form, and have their biometrics recorded by Assam Rifles personnel. A border pass featuring the applicant’s photograph and a QR code, valid for seven days, is issued and must be returned upon exit. All data is uploaded onto a centralized portal.

The FMR, established in 1968, initially allowed free movement up to 40 km on either side of the border, later reduced to 16 km in 2004. Additional regulations were introduced in 2016. In February 2024, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the complete suspension of the FMR and in December 2024, finalized new protocols to regulate movement within 10 km of the border.

The India-Myanmar border spans four states: Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km), and Mizoram (510 km).

Young Mizo Association urges Amit Shah to reconsider rorder fencing, Free Movement Regime
The Young Mizo Association (CYMA) has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to reconsider the Centre’s decision to fence the India-Myanmar border and lift the Free Movement Regime (FMR), a CYMA leader said Sunday.

CYMA general secretary Malsawmliana told PTI that YMA leaders met Shah during his visit to Mizoram on Saturday and submitted a memorandum opposing the border fencing and FMR abolition. The memorandum stated that these measures would harm the ethnic and cultural ties between Mizos in India and Myanmar, as well as their livelihoods.

“We firmly believe that the scrapping of the FMR and the erection of a border fence would not only disrupt these cultural connections but also the lives and livelihoods of the Mizo people on both sides,” it read.

Mizoram has sheltered around 40,000 refugees from Myanmar’s Chin state, 2,000 refugees from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts, and 12,000 internally displaced people from Manipur. CYMA urged the Centre to extend humanitarian aid and provide additional funds to support relief efforts.

Other demands included upgrading Lengpui airport, allocating more funds to combat drugs, including the Mizo language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, and creating a Mizo battalion under the Border Security Force (BSF).

Shah assured CYMA that Lengpui airport’s upgradation, overseen by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), would be completed within six months. He also promised financial assistance for refugee relief. On border fencing and the FMR, Shah suggested that the YMA send representatives to Delhi for further deliberations.

(With inputs from agencies)

MT