Ethnic Group Pushes for Restoration of India-Myanmar Free Movement

An Aizawl-based ethnic group, ZORO, demands the revival of the Free Movement Regime at the India-Myanmar border. They oppose the new system requiring a border pass for locals within 10 km. The group argues the restrictions disrupt cultural ties and economic activities in bordering regions.

The Zo Re-unification Organisation (ZORO), representing the Mizo tribes across India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, has called on the Indian government to reinstate the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the India-Myanmar border. This system historically allowed citizens to move visa-free across the border, fostering cultural and economic linkages.

Despite the Ministry of Home Affairs implementing a new border regulation system, requiring residents within 10 km of the border to obtain a pass, no formal notification of the FMR's cancellation has yet been issued. The new system, in place since January, seeks to tighten border security and maintain demographic stability in India's northeastern states.

R Sangkawia, the ZORO president, emphasized the inconvenience the new regulation poses to locals, who now need proof of residency and special reasons such as family visits or medical treatment to qualify for the seven-day border pass. Pilot implementation is underway at several crossing points, with further phases planned for expansion.

(With inputs from agencies.)