Mizo bodies protest Centre’s Indo-Myanmar border fencing, warn of threat to identity
'Mizo people share common ancestry, traditions and history, and cautioned that any physical barrier would adversely affect these ties,' said ZORO president
Aizawl, Jan 17: The Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO) and the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the apex Mizo students’ body, today organised a sit-in demonstration in front of the Vanapa Hall here to oppose the proposed fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border by the Central Government.
Leaders of both organisations, along with supporters, gathered at the protest site and reiterated that the fencing proposal poses a serious threat to the social, cultural, and ethnic unity of the Mizo people living on both sides of the international border.
Addressing the gathering, ZORO president R Sangkawia said the proposed fencing, if implemented, would divide ethnic Mizos residing in Mizoram and those living in neighbouring Myanmar, weakening the long-standing bonds of unity and brotherhood among indigenous communities inhabiting the border areas. He said the Mizo people share common ancestry, traditions and history, and cautioned that any physical barrier would adversely affect these ties.
Sangkawia voiced concern that continued disunity among ethnic Mizos could have far-reaching consequences, including the gradual erosion of their collective identity. He warned that such divisions could even threaten the survival of the Mizo tribe as a distinct ethnic group over time. Referring to earlier developments, he reminded that the Mizoram Legislative Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the proposed Indo-Myanmar border fencing.
MZP president C Lalremruata, in his address, said the issue of border fencing has been consistently opposed by the Mizo people, who aspire for reunification of ethnic Mizos living across contiguous regions in India and neighbouring countries. He maintained that while international borders may exist between nations, such demarcations should not be allowed to separate kindred communities with shared bloodlines and cultural heritage.
“There can be international boundaries between countries, but these borders cannot and should not divide people who belong to the same ethnic family,” Lalremruata said. He asserted that the MZP would continue to oppose the proposed fencing in all forms and would persist with democratic movements until the proposal is withdrawn.
The protest also highlighted the broader opposition from civil society organisations in Mizoram. ZORO, MZP and the NGO Coordination Committee, a conglomerate of major civil society groups in the State, have on several occasions submitted memorandums to the Central Government, urging it to reconsider the fencing proposal. They have also organised protest rallies and demonstrations at different times to register their opposition.
By
Correspondent