India To Fence Entire Myanmar Border, Build Patrol Track: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced that the Indian government has decided to build a fence along the 1643-kilometer-long Indo-Myanmar border.

Shah on X said, "To facilitate better surveillance, a patrol track along the border will also be paved. Out of the total border length, a 10 km stretch in Moreh, Manipur, has already been fenced. Furthermore, two pilot projects of fencing through a Hybrid Surveillance System (HSS) are under execution.

They will fence a stretch of 1 km each in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. Additionally, fence works covering approx 20 km in Manipur have also been approved, and the work will start soon,"

Earlier, sources had told ANI that the Central government is considering terminating the Free Movement Regime (FMR) with Myanmar to curb the influx of illegal migrants and insurgents.

This plan is being considered as a solution to the ongoing problem, as local residents have complained about the misuse of the FMR policy, which has led to "illegal immigration, drug and arms trafficking". The Manipur government and other northeastern states have also raised this issue with the Central government in the past.

The India-Myanmar border, which stretches across Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh for a total of 1,643 kilometres, currently operates under the FMR. This policy allows individuals living near the border to travel 16 kilometres into each other's territories without a visa. The FMR policy was implemented in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy.

According to the FMR policy, individuals belonging to hill tribes who are citizens of either India or Myanmar and reside within a 16-kilometre radius on either side of the border can cross with a valid border pass for one year. This pass allows them to stay for up to two weeks per visit.