Free movement Regime(FMR) – India & Myanmar

About Free Movement Regime: 

• 2018: Implemented as a part of Act East policy. 
• The free movement regime between India and Myanmar allows visa-free travel for Indian and Myanmar citizens to travel up to 16 kilometers inside each other’s territories without a visa.
• It facilitates cross-border trade and cultural exchanges, promoting economic and social interactions.
• It aims to strengthen bilateral ties, enhance people-to-people contact, and foster regional integration.
• Impact: Increased tourism, cross-border business activities, and collaboration in areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure development.
• 2022: As the crisis in Myanmar escalated and the influx of refugees increased, India temporarily suspended the FMR.

Challenges posed by FMR: 

• Refugee crisis: Persecution of  Kuki-Chin peoples, resulted in a significant influx of Myanmarese tribals into Manipur and Mizoram, seeking shelter.. 
• Social tensions: The influx of people can create pressure on resources, leading to social tensions. 

• Deforestation: According to the Manipur government, village heads have been forcibly relocating migrants from Myanmar into new settlements in the highlands, which has resulted in deforestation.

Why in news?

• The ‘free movement regime’ along the India-Myanmar border resulted in the illegal migration of tribal Kuki-Chin peoples into India from Myanmar.