India to spend $3.7 billion to fence border with Myanmar

• India is planning to spend about $3.7 billion to fence the porous border with Myanmar which is 1,610-km (1,000-mile). Earlier, the government decided to end the Free Movement Regime along the Indo-Myanmar border.

ABOUT INDO-MYANMAR BORDER

• The India-Myanmar border spans a total of 1,643 kilometers and runs through four Indian states: Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
• In Moreh, Manipur, a 10 kilometer stretch has already been fenced, and two pilot projects that utilize a Hybrid Surveillance System (HSS) are currently underway. These projects aim to fence one kilometer each in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. Additionally, fence works covering approximately 20 kilometers in Manipur have been approved and will commence soon.

ABOUT FREE MOVEMENT REGIME (FMR)

• India and Myanmar have an agreement called the Free Movement Regime (FMR). This agreement allows local tribes living along the border to travel up to 16 kilometers inside the other country without needing a visa.
• According to this agreement, local tribes living within 16 km on either side of the border can travel with one-year validity and stay for a maximum of two weeks.
• The Indian government has announced a plan to put up smart fencing along the entire India-Myanmar border to curb illegal immigration.
• Once implemented, the Free Movement Regime (FMR) policy along the border would come to an end and anyone entering the country through this route would require a valid visa. The project is expected to be completed in four and a half years.
• Currently, only about 10 km of the 390 km porous border between Manipur and Myanmar is fenced.

PROJECTS WITH MYANMAR

• India is creating a transportation system called the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport project that combines road, river, and port transportation.
• The goal of this project is to connect Kolkata to Sittwe in Myanmar and then to India’s northeast through Myanmar’s Kaladan river.
• Furthermore, India is collaborating with Myanmar and Thailand on the Asian Trilateral Highway project, which will link India to This road is expected to improve trade and commerce in the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area while also benefiting other Southeast Asian countries.