Border with Myanmar imposed by British; fencing unacceptable: Mizoram CM tells Centre

Lalduhoma, who became the chief minister of the northeastern state last month, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his official residence .

AizawlL Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma told the central government that people of his state consider the 510-km-long border it has with Myanmar was imposed on them by the British and fencing the international boundary is not acceptable.

Thousands of people from the neighbouring country, majority of whom share the same ethnicity with Mizos, have taken refuge in Mizoram following a military coup in Myanmar in 2021.

"The Indo-Myanmar boundary on the Mizoram side was demarcated by the British without the consent of the affected people,” Lalduhoma told Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lalduhoma, who became the chief minister of the northeastern state last month, called on Modi in his official residence in New Delhi during the day. This is their first meeting.

"The Zo ethnic tribes of Mizos regarded the Indo-Myanmar border as an imposed boundary, which has geographically separated the Mizo tribes," an official statement quoted Lalduhoma as saying during his meeting with Modi.

A large section of the people of Myanmar who have taken refuge in the state belong to the Chin, also known as the Zo, community. They share the same ancestry and culture as the Mizos of Mizoram. Chin is also a state in western Myanmar.

Lalduhoma also informed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at a separate meeting that any move to fence the Indo-Myanmar border was "unacceptable" for the Mizo people, according to another official statement issued here.

The statement came amid reports that the Centre is planning to fence 300 km stretches of the unfenced border with Myanmar, and to end the Free Movement Regime which allows people living on both sides of the international border to travel within 16 km into each other’s territory without visa.

The chief minister also informed the prime minister about the influx of refugees from Myanmar after the military junta seized power through a coup in February 2021, the statement said.

Over 31,000 Myanmar nationals have taken shelter in Mizoram since February 2021, according to the state home department.

Lalduhoma said that his government and the Mizo people wanted to provide shelter and look after the Myanmar nationals as they share ethnic ties.

He told Jaishankar during the meeting on Wednesday that the British had separated the Mizos by carving out Burma from India, and divided the Mizo land into two parts.

Burma was formally separated from India on April 1, 1937. In 1989, the country was named Myanmar by its then military rulers.

In a post on X, Laldhuhoma later said, "Productive meeting with Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji today. Delighted to strengthen our collaboration for the progress and development of #Mizoram. Looking forward to frequent discussions on key issues."

The prime Minister informed Lalduhoma that the Centre is always open to assist Mizoram and usher in development in the northeastern state.

Six Mizoram districts – Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Serchhip, Hnahthial and Saitual – share a 510 km-long international border with Myanmar’s Chin state.

The majority of the refugees who came from Myanmar live in relief camps, while others are accommodated by their local relatives and some others live in rented houses.

A number of Myanmar soldiers also fled to Mizoram after their camps along the international border were overrun by pro-democracy militia in the past few months. All of them were sent back.

Lalduhoma also met Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and urged him to expedite road construction projects in Mizoram.