Aizawl: Mizoram’s apex student body, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), on Monday wrote to the Centre urging it to reconsider the decision to lift the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and fence the Indo-Myanmar border.
In a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, sent through Mizoram Governor V.K. Singh, MZP stated that the FMR with Myanmar has played a vital role in preserving and fostering the Mizo way of life and cultural ties between ethnic Mizos of the two countries.
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It facilitated cross-border contact, economic activities, resource sharing, and participation in each other’s cultural, religious ceremonies, and community events.
“The proposed termination of the FMR and the fencing of the Indo-Myanmar border threaten to sever these bonds, depriving us of our cultural rights and access to essential resources. This decision disregards the geographical, historical, and economic interconnectedness of our communities, which have long transcended political boundaries,” the letter stated.
“Such actions would not only infringe upon the rights of indigenous communities but also jeopardize the cultural and economic fabric of our lives,” it read.
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The letter also mentioned that India is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), 2007, and is bound by Article 36 of the UNDRIP, which affirms the right of indigenous peoples to maintain and develop cross-border relations.
Article 36 of the UNDRIP asserts the right of indigenous peoples divided by international borders to maintain and develop contacts, relations, and cooperation across borders for spiritual, cultural, political, economic, and social purposes—with their own members as well as with other peoples across borders.
“It is disheartening to witness the world’s largest democracy act contrary to this principle, undermining the rights of its indigenous people,” the letter stated.
Leaders of the MZP also called on V.K. Singh on Monday, urging him to intervene in the matter.