SENAPATI, Oct 9:  The Naga Village Chief Federation Manipur (NVCFM) has voiced its strong opposition to the Indian government’s plan to construct a fence along the Indo-Myanmar border in areas inhabited by the Naga community. This resolution was passed during the Federation’s Second Assembly on August 24, 2024.

In a statement released today, the NVCFM asserted that the proposed border fencing violates the rights of the Naga people. “The government of India’s policy to fence the border along the Indo-Myanmar region infringes on the rights of the Naga, which are protected under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” it added.

The Federation has urged all presidents, chairpersons, and chiefs of relevant associations to refrain from cooperating with the government or any agencies involved in the fencing initiative.

The NVCFM is calling on all Naga village chiefs to follow this directive for the benefit of the Naga community. The Federation remains committed to protecting indigenous rights and ensuring that government policies do not adversely affect the Naga people.

Earlier, the Federation also submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the suspension of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the fencing of the Indo-Myanmar border in Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur. The federation expressed concerns that both the suspension of the Free Movement Regime and the border fencing could further divide the Naga population between India and Myanmar. They pointed out that the Nagas in India are already split across four states—Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam—and reiterated their natural right to remain united in their ancestral land as one people.