Aizawl: An NGO in Lawngtlai district in Southern Mizoram, has voiced strong support for the central government’s plans to fence the Indo-Myanmar border, emphasising its necessity for border security.
The assurance was given during an interaction between B. Shyam, Joint Secretary (JS) of the Border Management Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, and representatives from the Central Young Lai Association (CYLA), a prominent NGO in Lawngtlai. Shyam, currently on a visit to Mizoram, was in Lawngtlai, which shares borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The CYLA expressed their support for the Act East Policy but raised concerns about the lack of proper infrastructure for border trade. They urged the construction of immigration check posts and commercial border haats to regulate trade more efficiently. The group emphasized the need for fencing the border, highlighting it as a crucial step for security in the region.
The CYLA also brought up challenges such as poor road conditions between Lawngtlai and Zorinpui, part of the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP), and compensation issues for land acquisition along the project route. Shyam acknowledged the concerns, assuring the group that their points would be looked into.
This backing from Lawngtlai NGOs comes in contrast to recent protests against border fencing from other organizations in Mizoram. Earlier this year, in February, the NGO Coordination Committee (NGOCC), representing five major NGOs, staged a protest in Aizawl opposing the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the fencing of the Indo-Myanmar border. Lalhmachhuana, Chairman of NGOCC, criticized the central government’s decision, particularly blaming Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh for advocating the border fencing, which he claimed would divide the Zo people across different territories.
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In May, the Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO) led a similar protest at the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Gate in Zokhawthar village, Champhai district. ZORO, advocating for the unity of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi tribes across India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, warned that fencing the border would threaten their cultural and familial ties. Protests extended beyond Zokhawthar to other regions in Manipur and Myanmar, with the theme “Unau Kan Ni, Inthen Thei Kan Ni Lo” (United by Blood and Cannot Be Parted).
Despite these protests, some polling results indicate that a portion of the local population supports the fencing for security reasons.
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