Focus Mizoram ::: What's FMR issue .... ::::: What's Amit Shah's border sealing impact ? ::: Why Mizoram's Excise Minister says the state has seen a marked increase in drug smuggling ?

In March 2024 --- Mizoram's Excise and Narcotics Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar said the state has seen a marked increase in drug smuggling. 

He had also said that -- a total of 1,211 people have been arrested in drug-related cases since between January and March 2024.  

“In view of the drug trafficking and drug abuse, Mizoram is now in a precarious condition," he said.

Of course there are wheels within wheels. It is a fact of the matter that various central and state agencies in Mizoram, NGOs, Churches and the people have collectively worked in the past to bring down drug menace.

However, challenges remain and things can be hardly called perfect !

Experts and analysts in Delhi and across the region have their part of the story. 

What is the Socio-Cultural connection vis-a-vis security issues and security forces?

Then also comes an issue that triggers predicament - the India-Myanmar Free Movement Regime. 

The Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the India-Myanmar border has been a significant aspect of cross-border relations.

This norms or regime allows residents living within a certain distance of the border to move freely between the two countries. The border stretches approximately 1,643 kilometers, traversing the states of Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km), and Mizoram (510 km).

 

Initially established in 1968, the FMR allowed people to move up to 40 kilometers across the border without a visa. However, this distance was reduced to 16 kilometers in 2010.

In January 2024, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced plans to scrap the FMR entirely, citing security concerns arising from ongoing civil unrest in Myanmar and ethnic conflicts in Manipur. 

This was typically a big announcement and it provoked strong reactions.  

Naga Longwa Aung's home is exactly on borders !! 

On May 16, 2024, the Zo Reunification Organisation (ZoRO), which seeks reunification of all tribal communities scattered in four north-eastern Indian states and neighboring Bangladesh and Myanmar, asked Govt of India to abandon the move to fence the border.

"If India ditches the FMR, the youths will have no other alternative but to take up arms again,” said ZoRO general secretary Ramdinliana Renthlei at a rally in Zokhawthar in Mizoram.

This MHA decision entails that residents will now require papers to cross the border, fundamentally altering the long-standing arrangement.

Nagas too are displeased. 

However, officials claim Mizoram has been a focal point for "smuggling" particularly drugs and arms. 

While Manipur has supported the scrapping of the FMR due to security concerns, both Mizoram and Nagaland have opposed this move. 

Leaders from these states argue that ending the FMR would sever crucial ethnic and cultural ties.  

While 1,472 km of the border has been demarcated, only limited stretches have been fenced. The government now plans to build fencing using advanced Hybrid Surveillance Systems (HSS), with two pilot projects covering 1 km each in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. 

The Ministry of Home Affairs is also set to initiate fencing along approximately 300 kilometers of this border as part of a broader strategy to enhance security. 

Now it goes without stating and it is imperative for all stakeholders—including state governments, local communities, and national authorities—to engage in dialogue aimed at finding pragmatic solutions. 

Balancing security needs with the cultural and social realities of border communities is essential.  

The other part of the stories are more often ignored. One is the 'insurgency threats' from groups like a splinter United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) faction. 

In addition to local resistance, Myanmar’s internal instability has further complicated enforcement of the FMR. 

The military coup in Myanmar in 2021 has diverted the country's focus from managing the border effectively, leaving India with additional security responsibilities.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has blamed the issues in Myanmar "for contributing" to tensions between the Kukis and the Meiteis in his state. 

Over 30,000 Myanmar nationals are reportedly staying in Mizoram since 2021.

In Manipur, the Manipur state government claimed to have detected over 5,457 “illegal immigrants” from Myanmar.

India’s northeast region, divided into eight states, shares borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and China. 

It has witnessed several armed conflicts in north east since the former British colony’s independence in 1947.

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