‘Not acceptable’: United Naga Council tells Manipur Guv after FMR deadline lapses

Imphal, Aug 16: A delegation of the United Naga Council (UNC), along with representatives from other Naga civil organisations, met Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Saturday to discuss concerns over the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and ongoing border fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border.

The team, led by UNC president NG Lorho, called on the Governor around noon.

“Earlier we had set an ultimatum to scrap the FMR, and with the deadline now expired, the Governor invited us and assured that he would facilitate a dialogue between the UNC and the Government of India soon,” Lorho said.

He further asserted that the Naga bodies remain firm in their demands.

“Whether an official invitation comes or not is up to the government, but as for us, we will stand by our position,” Lorho added.

Notably, the core demands of the council include scrapping the FMR and halting the construction of border fencing through Naga-inhabited areas.

“The FMR should be revoked, and fencing in the middle of Naga land is not acceptable. We demand corrections to the demarcation so that fencing follows the traditional boundaries of the Nagas,” the UNC president stated.

Earlier, on July, the UNC, Naga Women Union (NWU), All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), and the Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights-South (NPMHR-S) had jointly issued a 20-day ultimatum to the Centre, demanding immediate withdrawal of the recent abrogation of the FMR and a halt to the border fencing project.

The Naga groups argue that such measures undermine the rights and ancestral ties of Naga communities living across the Indo-Myanmar border.

Earlier in 2024, Nagaland became the second state after Mizoram in the Northeast to pass a resolution against Centre’s move to fence the 1643-km-long international border and scrap the FMR with Myanmar.