The ‘free movement regime’ along the India-Myanmar border, and why it has complicated the volatile situation in Manipur

Source: The post is based on the article “The ‘free movement regime’ along the India-Myanmar border, and why it has complicated the volatile situation in Manipur”  published in Indian Express on 29th July 2023.

What is the News?

Tribal Kuki-Chin people illegally migrating into India from Myanmar is one of the key issues in the ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur.

Due to this, questions have been raised on the Free Movement Regime (FMR) that facilitates migration across the Indo-Myanmar Border(IMB).

What is the Free Movement Regime (FMR) on the IMB?

The border between India and Myanmar runs for 1,643 km in the four states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. 

The FMR is a mutually agreed arrangement between the two countries that allows tribes living along the border on either side to travel up to 16 km inside the other country without a visa.

The FMR was implemented in 2018 as part of the India government’s Act East policy.

However, as the crisis in Myanmar unfolded, India suspended the FMR in September 2022.

Why was the Free Movement Regime(FMR) conceptualized?

The border between India and Myanmar was demarcated by the British in 1826, without seeking the opinion of the people living in the region. 

The border effectively divided people of the same ethnicity and culture into two nations without their consent.

Hence, FMR facilitates people-to-people contact. It was also supposed to provide impetus to local trade and business.

Why is the Free Movement Regime (FMR) criticized now?

FMR has been criticized for unintentionally aiding illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and gun running.

The Indo-Myanmar border runs through forested and undulating terrain, is almost entirely unfenced, and difficult to monitor. In Manipur, less than 6 km of the border is fenced.

Since the military coup in Myanmar in 2021, the ruling junta has launched a campaign of persecution against the Kuki-Chin peoples. This has pushed large numbers of Myanmar tribes into India, especially into Manipur and Mizoram where they have sought shelter.