Mizoram: MZP, ZORO write to PM Modi; urge reconsideration of Indo-Myanmar border fencing
Aizawl: Mizoram's apex student organisation, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), and the Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO) jointly wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, urging the Centre to reconsider plans to fence the Indo-Myanmar border.
In the joint representation submitted through state Governor Vijay Kumar Singh, the organisations stated that the proposed border fencing, if implemented, could cause social and cultural disruption by physically and psychologically separating closely related ethnic communities that share customs, traditions, and familial bonds across the border.
They highlighted that the Zo, or Mizo, people share a common origin, history, culture, language, and social system that predates the demarcation of the current international boundary.
“Even as administrative borders were introduced during the colonial period and formalised post-independence, our social, cultural, familial, and economic relationships have continued peacefully across the border,” the memorandum stated.
The organisations also warned that the fencing could negatively affect the livelihoods of people on both sides, as they heavily depend on small-scale traditional trade, agriculture, and customary cross-border interactions.
Fencing the border would also impact family ties, community networks, and the overall emotional and social well-being of indigenous people living in frontier areas.
The memorandum acknowledged the Central Government’s duty to secure the border but urged using community-friendly, consultative measures that protect indigenous social systems.
The memorandum further reminded the Centre of its adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which affirms the rights of indigenous communities, particularly those divided by international borders, to maintain cultural, social, and economic relations.
“These principles align with the constitutional values of equality, personal liberty, and freedom of movement and association, and are reinforced by the special safeguards under Article 371-G, which protect customary practices, social institutions, and the cultural life of Mizoram’s people,” it added.
The memorandum emphasised that policy approaches guided by constitutional and international principles can address national security concerns while preserving social harmony and the realities of indigenous border communities.
Earlier on Friday, MZP and ZORO staged a demonstration in Aizawl to protest the proposed fencing of Mizoram’s section of the Indo-Myanmar border.
Four Indian states, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh, share a 1,643-km long international border with Myanmar. Mizoram alone has a 510-km border with Chin State, and the Mizos share ethnic ties with the Chins.
More than 30,000 people displaced from Chin State following the 2021 military coup are currently taking shelter in Mizoram. According to officials, about 10 km of the Manipur section of the Indo-Myanmar border has already been fenced.