Zo Reunification Organization opposes abolishment of FMR, installation of Indo-Myanmar border fence
Free Movement Regime (FMR) and install a border fence along the Indo Myanmar border, thereby dividing the Zofate (Zo people) residing in India and Myanmar.
The body added that this proposed action would necessitate passports and visas for their interactions and contacts. ZORO urged the Government of India to reconsider its decision to terminate the connections of Zo people living in the international border areas of India and Myanmar.
“It is crucial to note that the Government of India is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007 (UNDRIP).
Article 36 of this declaration asserts the right of indigenous peoples, divided by international borders, to maintain and develop contacts, relations, and cooperation across borders for spiritual, cultural, political, economic, and social purposes with their own members as well as with other peoples across borders.The notion of abolishing the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and implementing border fencing is in direct contradiction to Article 36 of the UNDRIP and runs counter to the spirit of the declaration. India, of course, presents its excuses and justifications for this proposal.
However, as a powerful country, it possesses various alternatives to address such issues. Border fencing that divides a community of indigenous peoples is more suitable for a weaker government with limited options, rather than for a country like India, which asserts itself as a world power and is a signatory to the UNDRIP”.
The Free Movement Regime initially allowed travelling up to 40 kilometres without separate permission, which was later reduced to 16 kilometres.
