Aizawl: Mizo National Front (MNF) on Friday reaffirmed its firm stance against the Mizoram-Myanmar border fencing, following media reports about the central government directing the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to finish the 1,643 km Indo-Myanmar international border fencing project within a decade.
During a party workers' meeting at the party office in Aizawl, MNF senior vice-president Dr R. Lalthangliana emphasised that their resistance to the proposed border fencing would persist, maintaining the position they held while in govt. "Fencing of the Mizoram-Myanmar international border is aimed at further dividing the people of Mizoram with our brothers and sisters in Myanmar and we strongly condemned the central govt's fresh moves to fence the border despite our opposition," Lalthangliana said.
He questioned the ruling Zoram People's Movement's (ZPM) position on opposing the central govt, suggesting that time would reveal whether the ZPM genuinely opposes the Centre or merely presents a facade of resistance. "If the state govt has the courage, this is the right time to come out and take concrete steps," the former health minister said.
Lalthangliana highlighted MNF's continued opposition to both the elimination of free movement regime (FMR) and the border fencing proposal, citing concerns about restricted movement of ethnic Mizos across the border. He noted that other northeastern states bordering Myanmar have also shown strong resistance, pointing out that even in Manipur, despite govt support, the fencing work has progressed slowly.