On Wednesday, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma expressed optimism regarding the Centre’s potential exemption of the 510-km-long stretch of the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram from fencing, as conveyed by an official.
During discussions with leaders of the Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO) in Aizawl, Lalduhoma also conveyed hope that the Union government would maintain the existing Free Movement Regime (FMR) with the neighbouring country. Lalduhoma informed ZORO members about his conversations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, where he appealed for the preservation of the status quo.
The Aizawl-based Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO), advocating for the reunification of all Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi tribes across India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar under one administrative unit, announced plans for peaceful rallies at Zokhawthar and Vaphai along the India-Myanmar border on May 16 to protest against the Centre’s decision to fence the border and end the FMR.
Mizoram, sharing a 510-km-long border with Myanmar’s Chin state, has ethnic ties with the Chins. Over 34,000 people from Chin state currently reside in various parts of Mizoram, seeking refuge following a military coup in February 2021.
The Mizoram government, along with civil society organizations and student bodies, vehemently opposes the Centre’s decision to fence the India-Myanmar border and terminate the FMR, fearing it would disrupt the close interactions between ethnic communities of the two countries. On February 28, the Mizoram Assembly passed a resolution opposing the Centre’s actions in this regard.
