FMR between India-Myanmar being misused by terrorists: Rajnath Singh

India-Myanmar border has the Free Movement Regime (FMR) which allows the tribes living along the border to travel 16-km across the boundary without visa restrictions.

After the review meeting of Indo-Myanmar border issues in Aizawl, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that the government will form a committee to examine the rules under the Free Movement Regime between the two countries.

Singh said that the FMR is being misused by terrorists, adding that the criminals are also using it for activities such as smuggling of weapons, narcotics and fake currency notes.

India-Myanmar border has the Free Movement Regime (FMR) which allows the tribes living along the border to travel 16-km across the boundary without visa restrictions.

"Will constitute Special Secretary-Internal Security headed committee to examine present rules adopted by border states for implementation of FMR," he said after the meeting.

He said the committee will give recommendations for uniform and effective implementation of FMR.

"The committee will submit report in three-months after consulting the states and other stakeholders," he added.

The Home Minster also called for strengthening of security in all states bordering Myanmar.

He also said that the North eastern region had suffered a lot especially on the development front, due to 'prolonged insurgencies'.

"Happy to note that situation has significantly improved all over, especially in the last 3 years. Government is committed to fast track the development of North East region," he said.

The Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh (Pema Khandu), Nagaland (Shurhozelie Liezietsu), Manipur (N. Biren Singh) and Mizoram (Lal Thanhawla) also attended the review meeting to discuss the status of infrastructure along the India-Myanmar border

Last month, around 280 people from Myanmar's Ralie village in Arakan took shelter at Lungpuk and Khalkhy mountainous villages in Saiha district of southern Mizoram.

Mizoram shares an unfenced 510-km border with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh, providing infiltrators, terrorists and smugglers an opportunity to illegally move across the border. There is a 16-km-wide free zone (8 km on either side of the frontier) along the 1,643-km unfenced India-Myanmar border.

Four northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km) -- share the 1,643-km mountainous border with Myanmar.

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