Will Scrapping The Free Movement Regime Pay Dividends

The Indian government is contemplating the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the India-Myanmar border. The FMR had eased the problems faced by the locals caught on either side of a divide that was purely geographical and did not take into consideration local demographics. It lead to communities and even families being divided by a border sans rationale.
Replicating the success to a point, of the India-Bangladesh border fence or the India-Pakistan fence, may not be easy. However good the fence be, if the local population does not want it, it will be breached. Guarding a fence along the entire length of over 1600 km, in jungle and hilly terrain, is barely conceivable.
The Chinese use the porous border to supply arms to Indian insurgent groups operating from bases in Myanmar. Possibly the biggest reason for going in for a fence along the border and scrapping the FMR, is Chinese supply of arms and ammunition to Indian insurgent groups.
The way forward is to get the insurgent groups to co-operate with us. Today, they understand that their future is most secure as a part of an India that’s growing at the best pace possible.
Guest: Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan (Retd). The General Officer was the Director General Assam Rifles. Post retirement, he has been the Chairman, Ceasefire Monitoring Group
Host: Brig SK Chatterji (Retd). Editor, Bharatshakti.in

#myanmar #northeast #manipur #nagaland #mizoram #arunachalpradesh #kuki #meitei #chin

Follow us on Social Media:
Like us on Facebook:   / bharatshakti.in  
Follow us on Twitter:   / bharatshaktibsi  
Follow us on Instagram:   / bharatshakti.in