‘Free movement’ along Myanmar border:

‘Free movement’ along Myanmar border:

Context

• The Centre is putting in measures to facilitate free movement of Indian and Myanmar’s citizens within 16 km along the Myanmar border.

What is the Free Movement regime?

• The FMR allows visa-free movement for people living within 16 km on either side of the border.

How is FMR impacting India?

• The bilateral pact between the two countries is being exploited by militants to smuggle arms, drugs and even fake Indian currency across the border.

What are the government’s steps to counter these challenges?

• The Ministry had constituted a committee to examine various methods to curb the misuse of free movement along the Myanmar border, a friendly country, with which it shares unfenced borders and unhindered movement of people across the border
• The Home Ministry held consultations with four States — Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh — on the Free Movement Regime (FMR).
• The move comes in the wake of large-scale displacement of Rohingya people from Rakhine State in Myanmar.

What is the Rohingya crisis?

http://blog.forumias.com/india-and-the-rohingya-crisis/

What are the other issues to be discussed?

• Ministry of External Affairs and their counterparts in Myanmar shall also discuss to allow Indian nationals going and staying in Myanmar under the bilateral agreement for up to 72 hours.
• While India allows Myanmar’s nationals to stay for 72 hours without visa, Myanmar allows stay only up to 24 hours, an official said.