Aizawl: Mizoram’s apex student body, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), along with the Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO), on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the Centre’s proposal to fence the Indo-Myanmar border, cautioning that the move could disturb the social, cultural and economic ties of indigenous communities residing along the border.
In a joint memorandum submitted through Governor Vijay Kumar Singh, the organisations said the proposed fencing would physically and psychologically divide ethnic communities that share common customs, language, culture and familial bonds across the border.
The groups pointed out that the Mizo people share a common origin, history, culture and social system that existed long before the present international boundary was demarcated.
“Even though administrative borders were introduced during the colonial period and formalised in the post-colonial era, our social, cultural, familial and economic relationships have continued across the border in a peaceful and organised manner,” the memorandum stated.
The organisations warned that fencing the border could have a severe economic impact on people living on both sides, as many depend on small-scale traditional trade, agriculture and customary cross-border interactions for their livelihoods.
They further said that such a measure would affect family ties, community networks and the overall emotional and social well-being of indigenous people inhabiting the frontier areas.
While acknowledging the responsibility of the central government to ensure border security and prevent illegal activities, the memorandum suggested that these objectives could be achieved through alternative, community-sensitive and consultative mechanisms. It stressed that security concerns should not lead to steps that permanently disrupt indigenous social systems that have historically remained peaceful and cooperative.
The organisations also reminded the Centre of its commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which recognises the rights of indigenous communities, particularly those divided by international borders, to maintain contacts and cooperation for cultural, social and economic purposes.
“These principles resonate with the constitutional values of equality, personal liberty, and freedom of movement and association. They are further reinforced by the special constitutional safeguards applicable to Mizoram under Article 371-G, which recognise the importance of protecting customary practices, social institutions and the cultural life of its people,” the memorandum added.
Earlier in the day, MZP and ZORO—an organisation representing the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi tribes of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar—staged a demonstration in Aizawl to protest against the proposal to fence the Mizoram section of the Indo-Myanmar border.
Four Indian states—Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh—share a 1,643-km international border with Myanmar. Mizoram alone shares a 510-km border with Myanmar’s Chin state, with which the Mizos have strong ethnic ties.
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More than 30,000 people from Myanmar’s Chin state, displaced by the military coup in 2021, are currently taking shelter in Mizoram. According to officials, around 10 km of the Manipur section of the Indo-Myanmar border has already been fenced.
