Syllabus: GS-III, Subject: Internal Security, Topic: North -East regional issues, Issue: Free Movement Regime(FMR)
Context: Free Movement Regime(FMR) between India and Myanmar was suspended.
- India is planning to fence the entire India-Myanmar border with a hybrid surveillance system.
Significance of FMR:
- The India-Myanmar border is a colonial legacy, dividing communities with shared ethnicity, history, and culture.
- The FMR has been a lifeline,facilitating movement of residents living within 16 km of the border.
Reactions after suspension of FMR:
- Mizoram and Nagaland passed unanimous resolutions condemning the decision to withdraw the FMR.
- Nagas, Mizos, Chins, and Kuki-Jo communities oppose the withdrawal of FMR due to strong ethnic and kinship ties with Myanmar.
| FMR-Background
● Myanmar initiated FMR-like arrangements in 1948, allowing indigenous people from neighboring countries to travel without passports. ● India reciprocated in 1950, permitting ethnic community members within 40 km of the border to stay for up to 72 hours. ● In 1968, India introduced a permit system to curb insurgencies, reducing the geographic limit to 16 km. ● The Agreement on Land Border Crossing, or FMR, came into effect in 2018, allowing residents within 16 km of the border to visit the other side with a border pass. |
