Kohima: Ever since Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the construction of a 1,643 km border fence along the India-Myanmar boundary, resistance has been growing in Nagaland, with the state sharing 215 km of the international border with Myanmar.
At the heart of the opposition is the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR), a provision that has long allowed communities on both sides to travel up to 16 km into each other’s territory without a visa.
For the Konyak Naga community, whose ancestral lands straddle the border, the move threatens to sever age-old ties, disrupt livelihoods, and impose artificial barriers on a people who have never recognized colonial-era demarcations. Nowhere is this more evident than in Longwa, a village in Mon district, where the residence of the chief Angh (village chief) is split between the two nations.
On Monday, hundreds of Konyak Naga protesters took to the streets across Mon, holding mass demonstrations against what they call an unjust imposition. With placards reading, “Respect Our Rights, Restore FMR!” and “No to Artificial Borders, Yes to Traditional Boundaries!”, their message was clear—their land, culture, and way of life cannot be fenced in.
The demonstrations, organized by the Konyak Union (KU), the apex tribal body of the Konyak Naga community, were held in Longwa village, Kangzu, and Tobu town, with calls to respect Konyak territorial integrity and restore its traditional rights.
Protesters carried placards bearing messages such as “Respect Our Rights, Restore FMR!”, “Stop Fencing to Divide the Konyak Community!”, “Recognize Our Ancestral Lands, Not Imaginary Borders!”, and “India & Myanmar: Listen to Our Voices!”
Who decided the border?
The Indo-Myanmar border, which cuts through the heart of Naga ancestral lands, has long been a point of contention. The Konyak Union pointed out that the demarcation dates back to the Treaty of Yandabo (1826), with successive modifications in 1834, 1881, 1894, 1896, 1921, and 1992.
The finalization of the boundary took place at the Yangon Agreement on March 10, 1967. The apex tribal body of the Konyak Nagas, in a letter to the Nagaland governor, noted that these agreements were made without the consent of the community, disregarding the indigenous population’s cultural, social, and familial ties.
“The Konyak community has always lived as one people, sharing land, resources, and kinship across this imposed border. Many Konyak villages, including those within Indian territory, have large portions of their agricultural lands situated in Myanmar,” KU president Tingthok Konyak and general secretary Manpang Wangyen said.
They noted that fencing this boundary would not only deprive the locals of their farming lands but also severely disrupt their livelihoods, causing unimaginable hardship and even leading to the loss of vital connections for Konyak families residing in Myanmar, who depend heavily on their Indian counterparts for essential commodities.
The KU also highlighted that one of the most affected areas is Longwa village, where the borderline arbitrarily runs through the village, placing one half of the village in India and the other in Myanmar.
“It is inconceivable and deeply inhumane to consider erecting a fence through the center of such a community or to impose pass permits on villagers who have lived freely across this land for generations,” the Konyak body said.
Also Read: Divided: Why Nagas oppose India’s move to fence Myanmar border
‘Will never allow division of our land’
“The Konyaks live in both India and Myanmar—brothers by blood, speaking the same language, practicing the same culture, traditions, and festivals on the same day. Some reside in India but cultivate in Myanmar, while others live in Myanmar and work in India. Blood and land cannot be separated,” Hongnao Konyak, KU vice president, told EastMojo.
He suggested that if India constructs fencing along the IB, it should consider Naga traditional areas in Myanmar. “If at all the mighty India wishes to build a physical border fence, India should go beyond the Chindwin River (presently in Myanmar), where Naga traditional land ends.”
The tribal leader asserted that the Konyaks would never allow any agency to erect a physical structure within the heart of their land.
He said that the existing structure of the FMR should continue, adding that scrapping the FMR would create more chaos and disharmony in the region.
As protests against the Indo-Myanmar border fencing gain momentum, it may be noted that shortly after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement, Longwa village chief Angh, Tonyei Phawang, strongly opposed the Centre’s decision.
Phawang emphasized that Longwa, a key village in Mon district, is strategically positioned along the Indo-Myanmar border and is home to approximately 6,000 people who, despite living across two nations, function under a single anghship, one church, and one administration.
The chief Angh revealed that Longwa consists of 990 households spread across Indian and Myanmar territories, with 170 households—including his residence, a Government Primary School, a church, an Assam Rifles post, shops, and other public properties—situated precisely on the boundary line.
He further highlighted that Longwa has eight jhum farmlands and two forest reserves, of which four jhum farmlands and one forest reserve fall under Myanmar’s jurisdiction.
During the Nagaland Assembly session in February last year, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP Legislature Party leader Yanthungo Patton informed the House that, in line with Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notifications, the state had identified seven entry/exit points along the international border.
He noted that in 2017, respective administrative offices were designated as Pass Issuing Authorities, and later, another eleven entry and exit points were identified.
Meanwhile, the state government had also urged the Centre to continue the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and to formulate appropriate regulations in close consultation with the communities inhabiting the border areas.
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