Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday announced that the Ministry of home affairs (MHA) has decided that the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar be scrapped to ensure the internal security of the country, reports Hindustan Times.
Amit Shah also said the decision was taken to maintain the demographic structure of India’s northeastern states bordering Myanmar.
“Since the Ministry of External Affairs is currently in the process of scrapping it, MHA has recommended the immediate suspension of the FMR,” Amit Shah wrote on social media X (formally Twitter).
Amit Shah made the announcement days after he said India has decided to fence the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, ending the Free Movement Regime (FMR) prevalent along the porous border.
The Free Movement Regime or FMR allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without any document.
The 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, which passes through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, currently ha FMR. It was introduced in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
