Ending the Free Movement Regime (FMR) : 4 Jan, 2023

What is FMR?

• A bilateral agreement between India and Myanmar.
• Allows tribal residents along the India-Myanmar border to travel 16 km inside the other country without a visa.
• India shares a 1,643 km-long border with Myanmar, traversing Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram.
• Initiated in the 1970s and last revised in 2016.
• Aimed at fostering people-to-people connections due to strong ethnic and familial ties across the border.
• Eligibility: Citizens of India or Myanmar with a border pass, valid for a year, allowing stays up to 2 weeks per visit.

Challenges and Suspension:

• The 2021 military coup in Myanmar led to an influx of undocumented migrants into Mizoram and Manipur.
• Migrants mainly from the Kuki-Chin-Zo ethnic group, sharing ties with communities in Mizoram and Manipur.
• Manipur suspended FMR in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has urged the central government to permanently end it, citing ethnic violence.

End of FMR and Implementation of Smart Fencing:

• The Indian government plans to implement an advanced smart fencing system along the entire India-Myanmar border.
• The project, expected to complete in 4.5 years, will replace the FMR and introduce visa requirements.
• The move aims to curb the misuse of FMR by insurgent groups for attacks, and to control illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and gold smuggling.

Why in News:

• The Union Government has decided that it would be scrapping the Free Movement Regime with Myanmar soon.