The United Tangshang Naga Council (UTNC) has strongly objected to the Government of India’s ongoing border fencing between Indo-Myanmar Boundary Pillars No. 172 and 173, calling the project a “dishonourable act” that constitutes “psychological oppression against the indigenous Naga people.”
In a statement issued today, the council said, “The construction of physical barriers to divide the Naga people who are of one people and one family…disregards our existence and deeply pains the entire Naga community.” It added, “No matter what visible structures are erected to separate us, the invisible unity of our blood, our identity as one people, and our belonging to one homeland cannot be erased or divided by any authority.”
The UTNC emphasized that the Tangshang Nagas, along with other Naga communities, “have inhabited our present ancestral homeland since time immemorial as an indigenous people,” and that while the international border divides administrative jurisdictions, “the Naga people of both sides have continued to live honestly and peacefully under the governance of the two countries, while freely upholding our shared identity and our unity as one people and one homeland in accordance with our customs, culture, and traditions.”
The council asserted that India, “as one of the powerful nations of the world and as a great democracy that values human rights, should use its strength and institutions only for the benefit and support of humanity,” and urged the government to take actions that are “positive and uplifting” for the Naga people.
Calling for an immediate cessation of the fencing project, the UTNC laid out specific demands:
“Immediately stop and withdraw all border fencing activities along Indo-Myanmar border.”
“Recognize and consistently respect the presence and value of the indigenous Naga population on both sides of the border.”
“Avoid all political arrangements that divide the indigenous Naga people, and continue to preserve and protect the kinship and coexistence between Naga communities on both sides.”
“The government of India must take responsibility for the consequences unless the border fencing project is ceased and withdrawn.”
The objection is endorsed by several prominent Tangshang Naga organizations, including the Naga Tradition, Literature and Culture Committees of Nanyun and Pangsau Townships, Myanmar, the Tangshang Naga Baptist Churches Council (TNBCC), and the Tangshang Naga Students Association (TNSA).
The UTNC stated: “Any attempt to deny, undermine, or destroy our oneness as a people and the unity of our ancestral homeland will not intimidate the Tangshang Nagas…We shall never submit or accept any action intended to divide us.”