The Naga Students’ Organization – Myanmar (NSO-M) has declared its solidarity with the United Naga Council (UNC), endorsing its stance on the shared destiny of the Naga people and rejecting border policies that threaten their unity.
In a press statement issued from its headquarters in Lahe Town, Naga Self-Administered Zone (NSAZ), Myanmar, the NSO-M praised UNC for its “unwavering commitment to the political future, territorial integrity, and unity of the Naga people,” calling its leadership and determination an inspiration for Nagas across borders.
“We stand firmly with the UNC, and we encourage them to continue their protest movement and every peaceful means of resistance in defense of our people’s rights and future. Their voice is our voice. Their struggle is our struggle,” NSO-M stated.
The organization strongly condemned the Government of India for recent actions, including the withdrawal of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the construction of fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border. It also criticized the Myanmar government for what it described as “silence and complicity.”
It also said, “As Eastern Nagas, we categorically state that we have never recognized the so-called Free Movement Regime (FMR) instituted by the Indian and Myanmar governments.”
“Movement across our ancestral lands has always been a birthright, not a matter of state permission,” NSO-M stated. “It is rooted in our history, culture, and kinship-long predating the drawing of international borders,” it stated, asserting that border fencing is “a cultural and political assault that no Naga, anywhere, should tolerate.”
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“The recent withdrawal of the FMR came not as a routine policy change, but as a shock-revealing the deeper intent of both governments to divide and control the Naga people. The imposition of movement restrictions and the construction of border fencing through Naga villages and sacred lands are clear attempts to sever our people, erase our unity, and undermine our political aspirations.” NSO-M asserted.
Condemning the actions of the Governments of India and Myanmar, NSO-M said it “rejects the legitimacy of the FMR regime, past or present, as it falsely assumes control over indigenous lands and identities.”
The NSO-M demanded an immediate halt to border fencing and reversal of policies restricting traditional movement. It also appealed to Naga organizations, tribal councils, and youth bodies to unite in resistance, and urged the international community to recognize what it called “a blatant violation of indigenous rights.”
President Naogang Ngansa signed off the statement with a declaration that “we were never divided by consent, and no policy, border, or government can ever rewrite our identity or destiny. Nagalim lives in the heart of every Naga, across every boundary – and no fence can contain that spirit.”
“We were one yesterday, we are one today, and we shall remain one tomorrow,” it concluded.
