Manipur Chief Minister recently said that his government has urged the
Union Home Ministry to cancel the free movement regime along the IndiaMyanmar border and complete its fencing.
- Under the FMR, all the hill tribes, whether they are citizens of India or
Myanmar, can travel within 16 km on either side of the Indo-Myanmar
Border (IMB). - They can cross the border by producing a border pass with a one-year
validity issued by the competent authority and can stay up to two weeks
per visit. - The FMR ”as implemented in 2018 as part of the Central government’s Act
East policy. - FMR is implemented by both governments for the people living along the
IMB. - This helps locals to get more culturally assimilated with trans-border villages
through weddings, celebrating common festivals together and trans-border
trade. - It is a reflection of the physical, ethnic, linguistic, cultural and fraternal
linkages among the trans-border villagers.
Indo-Myanmar Border (IMB) - It runs for 1,643 km in the four states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and
Arunachal Pradesh. - It runs from the tripoint with China in the north to the tripoint with
Bangladesh in the south. - Assam Rifles is tasked with guarding the IMB