Dimapur: The Angami Public Organisation (APO), uniting with all Naga tribe units in Kohima held a public rally in the state capital Kohima of Nagaland on Wednesday demanding an immediate halt on Indo-Myanmar border fencing.
The unified front also demanded the immediate restoration of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the international border in its original form and the withdrawal of the Protected Area Permit (PAP) from Nagaland.
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Hundreds of people attended the rally at the OLD MLA Junction demonstrating their unwavering resolve on these critical issues impacting the Naga indigenous people.
Following the rally, the APO, along with other organizations, submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah through the Nagaland Governor.
The unified front sought the Union Home Minister’s attention to the policy decisions of the Government of India that have far-reaching consequences for the Naga indigenous people inhabiting the India-Myanmar borderlands.
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“Today, forcing our people to obtain a ‘border pass’ to move in their own land is unacceptable as it is tantamount to taking permission to move around in one’s own house. Since the implementation of the border pass system, residents of bordering districts have been bearing the brunt of the new system,” the memorandum read.
Opposing border fences on the India-Myanmar border, the organizations said they are against the idea of dividing “our ancestral land”.
“Constructing fences along the border and dividing our people and our land is an outright violation of our Indigenous rights”, the memorandum asserted.
The memorandum also stated the need for restoration of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the border in its entirety and original form as a mark of respect to the historical and cultural rights of the Nagas and also to maintain order and stability in the sensitive India-Myanmar borderlands.
The memorandum argued that the simultaneous imposition of the PAP/RAP alongside the new “border pass” system reveals a “sinister design of the Government of India.”
“This is a direct assault on the indigenous rights of the Nagas and poses a serious threat to the lives of our people,” it said.
It further stated that the imposition of PAP would virtually stop the visit of foreign tourists, damaging the growing tourism industry in Nagaland.
Moreover, the memorandum urged the government to respect indigenous rights within the context of border management.
“As a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007), the principles enshrined in Article 36 of the declaration must guide India’s approach towards Indigenous communities along the Indo-Myanmar border”, the memorandum added.