FREE MOVEMENT REGIME

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Context

• The Centre has decided to fence the entire length of the India-Myanmar border to stop the free movement of people.

Background:

• Implemented in 2018 under India's Act East policy.
• Allows tribes within 16 km of the border to travel without a visa.

Historical Context:

• British-drawn borders in 1826 divided ethnic communities without consent.
• People share strong ethnic and familial ties across borders.

Objectives:

• Facilitates people-to-people contact, local trade, and business.
• Addresses historical divisions and promotes regional cooperation.
• Apart from facilitating people-to-people contact, the FMR was supposed to provide impetus to local trade and business.
• The region has a long history of trans-border commerce through customs and border haats.
• Given the low-income economy, such exchanges are vital for the sustenance of local livelihoods.
• For border people in Myanmar too, Indian towns are closer for business, education, and healthcare than those in their own country.

Concerns and Criticisms:

• Criticized for unintentionally aiding illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and terrorism.
• Unfenced, porous borders contribute to these challenges.

Current Issues:

• Manipur conflict involves accusations of illegal migration and narco-terrorism.
• Large influx of Myanmarese tribals seeking shelter in India due to persecution.

Security Challenges:

• Insurgent groups using Sagaing, Kachin, and Chin states for training and illegal activities.
• According to Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), several insurgent groups such as the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), and small groups of Kukis and Zomis have built camps in Sagaing Division, Kachin State, and Chin State (in Myanmar).
• Unfenced borders enable drug trafficking; and misuse of Free Movement Regime (FMR).

The illegal migration of tribal Kuki-Chin peoples into India from Myanmar is one of the key issues in the ongoing Manipur conflict. While the Meiteis have accused these illegal migrants and the alleged “narco-terror network” along the India-Myanmar Border (IMB) of fomenting trouble in the state, the Kukis have blamed the Meiteis and Chief Minister N Biren Singh, a Meitei himself, of using this as a pretext for “ethnic cleansing”. Amid this charged and sensitive debate in the state, questions have been raised about the FMR. Although beneficial to local people and helpful in improving Indo-Myanmar ties, it has been criticised in the past for unintentionally aiding illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and gun running. The 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 on February 1, 2021, the ruling junta has launched a campaign of persecution against the Kuki-Chin peoples. This has pushed large numbers of Myanmarese tribals across the country’s western border into India, especially into Manipur and Mizoram, where they have sought shelter. Mizoram, where a large section of the population has close ethnic and cultural ties with people across the border, has set up camps for more than 40,000 refugees, despite protests from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Drug Trafficking Statistics:

• 500 cases registered, 625 individuals arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Manipur in 2022.
• Seizure of narcotics, estimated value over Rs 1,227 crore in the international market.

Suspension and Future Considerations:

• FMR suspended in September 2022 amid the Myanmar crisis.
• Experts recommend better regulation rather than complete removal or full fencing.
• Balancing security needs with local interests essential for livelihoods and essential travel.

Conclusion:

• The FMR, while fostering regional ties, faces challenges of illegal activities.
• FMR needs better regulation.
• Ongoing crisis requires a nuanced approach to address security concerns without severely impacting local populations.
• Given the interests of the local population, however, neither the complete removal of the FMR nor full fencing of the border may be desirable.
• Livelihoods will be impacted, and essential travel for health care and education may be hit.
• India must tackle the issue by pursuing ‘killing the snake without breaking the stick’ approach.”

READ: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/free-movement-regime-fmr

PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Examine the implications and challenges of the Free Movement Regime on the India-Myanmar border, highlighting its impact on security and regional dynamics.