India-Myanmar Border Free Movement Regime

General Studies Paper -2

Context: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is planning to end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) with Myanmar.

Free Movement Regime (FMR) Agreement

• 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.
• It was aimed to minimise the historical divide and facilitate cultural and economic ties.
  • The border between India and Myanmar was demarcated by the British in 1826, without seeking the opinion of the people living in the region, which effectively divided people of the same ethnicity and culture into two nations without their consent.
  • People in the region have strong ethnic and familial ties across the border.
• It was implemented in 2018 as part of the Act East Policy and was supposed to provide impetus to local trade and business and boost regional ties.
  • The region has a long history of trans-border commerce through customs and border haats.

Differed Opinion

• Manipurhad urged the MHA to suspend the FMR and fence the entire India-Myanmar border in September 2023.
  • It had already suspended the FMR in 2022to prevent large-scale migration of refugees from Myanmar.
• However, Mizoram and Nagaland have opposed this move of MHA, arguing that the FMR allows the tribes residing across the borders to maintain their ethnic, social, and cultural ties, as well as contribute to the economic well-being of people on both sides of the border.
  • They have also opposed the proposal of fencing the entire border with Myanmar.

Why ending the FMR Agreement is significant to India?

• Security Concerns:There are illegal immigrants, drug traffickers, and insurgents from Myanmar have been misusing the liberty of the FMR.
• Control of Ethnic Violence:There have been several instances of ethnic violence in the region.
  • About 200 people have lost their lives in ethnic violence between the Kuki tribes and the Meiteis in the second half of 2023.
• Border Management:The decision to end the FMR is part of a broader plan to secure the India-Myanmar border.
  • The government plans to fence the border, similar to the India-Bangladesh border.
• Regulation of Movement:The FMR allowed locals from both countries to enter either side up to a certain distance without visas and passports.
  • This arrangement will be scrapped, regulating the movement of people across the border.

India’s strategy to safeguard its borders

• Developing Infrastructure: As part of the strategy to secure the borders as also to create infrastructure in the border areas of the country, several initiatives have been undertaken by the Border Management Division.
  • These include the construction of the fence, floodlighting, roads, Border Out Posts (BOPs), Company Operating Bases (COBs), and deployment of technological solutions along the India-Pakistan, India-Bangladesh, India-China, India-Nepal, India-Bhutan and India-Myanmar borders.
• Deployment of Troops & Surveillance:The Indian Army and the BSF are deployed in multiple layers to form an anti-infiltration grid.
  • The border fence and deployment of other surveillance devices have helped in reducing infiltrations.
  • Improving our intelligence network within the state to nab the drug dealers on our side of the border must be the main priority of our security forces.
• Along Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar borders:Our borders with these countries are guarded primarily by paramilitary forces, and they have to deal with the smuggling and trafficking of humans, drugs, arms, illegal migration, and movement of suspected insurgents.
• Drugs Challenge: Drones have proved to be an effective tool in smuggling drugs across the border.
  • It will take more than mere vigilance on the border to deal with this menace.

Conclusion and Way Forward

• Mere scrapping of FMR might not make any difference on the ground, as in the case of  Manipur where FMR has remained suspended since September 2022.
  • The people continue to cross the international border from any point mostly without permits. Crossing the border freely highlights the fact that the India-Myanmar border continues to be poorly guarded.
• There is a need to ensure that the border between India and Myanmar is effectively secured and regulated by all stakeholders.