Union Home Minister Amit Shah has declared the immediate suspension of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar, aiming to bolster the internal security of the nation. Shah emphasized the importance of maintaining the demographic integrity of India’s North Eastern States bordering Myanmar.
In a statement on ‘X’, Shah conveyed the decision made by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to scrap the FMR to safeguard internal security and preserve the demographic composition of the North Eastern States adjacent to Myanmar. The Ministry of External Affairs is in the process of formalizing this decision, prompting the MHA to recommend the immediate suspension of the FMR.
The Free Movement Regime permitted residents of border towns to travel up to 16 kilometers inside each other’s territories without requiring a visa.
Last month, Shah had announced plans to fence the India-Myanmar border, mirroring the Indo-Bangladesh border, and terminate free movement between the two countries. This decision was reiterated during his address at the passing out parade of the first batch of the newly constituted Assam Police Commando battalions.
The fencing initiative along the Myanmar border will commence soon, and unrestricted entry of Myanmar citizens into India will cease. India shares a 1643-kilometer long border with Myanmar across four states: Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh.
