India sealed “India-Myanmar border” entry points

What is the News?

India has sealed all entry points along the India-Myanmar border. Further, India is closely monitoring border areas to prevent any Myanmar nationals from entering the country.

Why India sealed the entry points of the India-Myanmar border?

• After the coup in Myanmar, widespread civil disobedience movements(CDM) are taking place all over Myanmar.
• The Military-ruled Myanmar is following stringent methods to curb the protests like shooting the public, night raids on protesters home, etc.
• Due to this, the Myanmar nationals including many policemen have crossed into India and sought refuge. Hence, to stop this illegal migration, the India-Myanmar border has been closed.
• However, the border between India and Myanmar is unfenced. Moreover, given its rough terrain, it cannot be blocked completely.

India-Myanmar Border

• Myanmar is also known as Burma is in South East Asia. It shares its borders with Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh, China, and India.
• India-Myanmar shares a 1,643-km-long border with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram
• India – Myanmar have a free movement regime(FMR). It allows people in border villages to trade and moves freely up to 16 kilometers inside each other’s territory.
• The free movement regime(FMR) has been suspended since March 2020 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Since the suspension, there is an increase in smuggling across the border due to the livelihood of people disrupted due to the pandemic.

Source: The Hindu