Ahead Of PM Modi's Manipur Visit, Authorities Urge Naga Groups To Lift Trade Embargo Over India-Myanmar Border Demands

In preparation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled trip to Manipur on 13 September, local authorities have appealed to the United Naga Council (UNC), the leading Naga group in the state, to end the ongoing "trade embargo" that has been in place across Naga-dominated regions since midnight on Monday (8 September).

The UNC initiated this measure as a demonstration against the ongoing construction of fencing along the India-Myanmar border and the termination of the Free Movement Regime (FMR).

Chief Secretary Dr Puneet Kumar Goel sent a correspondence to UNC leader Ng Lorho, noting that the Union Home Ministry has been in discussions with the UNC regarding border fencing in areas populated by Nagas, and that the state has also taken note of the group's submissions and concerns.

“In this connection, it is to inform that the Central Government noted the concerns raised by UNC and other stakeholders. Accordingly, the Central Government has been holding and will continue to hold dialogue with the UNC and other stakeholders for prior consultation before fencing works are taken up. The next tripartite meeting with UNC will be held on a mutually convenient date and venue,” the letter was quoted by TNIE.

Goel encouraged the UNC to cease all forms of protest for the greater good of the community. Various Naga groups in Manipur are calling for the revival of the FMR and a stop to the fencing project, arguing that their ancestral lands reach as far as Myanmar's Chindwin River. A significant part of the Naga community resides in Myanmar as well.

Negotiations on 26 August, in New Delhi between a team of 11 representatives from three Naga entities, including the UNC, and federal officials ended without resolution on these matters. In a document presented to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the UNC highlighted that Nagas on both sides of the border maintain deep connections in social, economic, cultural, religious, and land-related aspects.

“These bonds predate the colonial demarcation of boundaries and are integral to our identity, traditions, and way of life. As such, abrupt abrogation of FMR and construction of physical border fencing…have adversely impacted and disrupted the natural flow of community and familial interdependent relationship…” the memorandum said.

Introduced in 2018 between India and Myanmar under the Act East initiative, the FMR facilitated visa-free travel up to 16 kilometers across the border to foster interpersonal exchanges and stimulate economic growth in India's northeastern region. The policy was discontinued amid ongoing communal clashes in Manipur.