Border fencing : A critical look at the response of the Government

Bula Devi *

Manipur-Myanmar border at Moreh and the adjoining areas on October 22 2013 :: Pix - Ashok Ninghoujam

In a surprisingly welcome gesture, the Centre gave a patient hearing to the all-party delegation from Manipur on the controversial fencing on the Indo-Myanmar border. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assurance to the delegation that not "an inch of land" in Indian territory on Manipur border would be conceded to the neighbouring country must have brought a sigh of relief to the people of Manipur.

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde took immediate action by holding a separate meeting with the delegation that was attended by senior officials of the Home Ministry, the Surveyor General of India, Border Roads Organisation and the Assam Rifles. The decision to conduct a spot verification by a joint delegation of all concerned officials from the Government of India along with all political parties of Manipur and instructing the BRO to immediately "suspend" the fencing work has sent the right signal to the people of Manipur.

But, it also goes to show that the Centre as well as the State Government could have taken the same action months back when locals in the Indo-Myanmar border first raised an alarm in early July. But they preferred to drag their feet. Even today the Centre denies any encroachment, brushing aside protestations to the contrary.

There can be no smoke without fire. The alarmed locals and a team of civil society groups led by the Committee on Protection of Land in Border Fencing Manipur visited Moreh in late July. This was followed by a visit of officials led by Principal Secretary, Home, Suresh Babu, Government of Manipur on August 27. The next day, the Manipur Governor also went for an on-the-spot assessment. The State Government must have seen some substance in the allegations, which is why the Deputy Chief Minister also visited the area, including Mangkang (Haolenphai village) and Thangbung Minou, on October 22.

But as it happens usually with low priority States, especially with the North Eastern States, the Centre continued to remain in denial mode and brushed the matter under the carpet. The Home Ministry stated that there was no encroachment by the Myanmarese Army. Instead of showing its reluctance on the issue, the Ministry could have easily sent officials for a spot verification on its own and suspended the fencing work until then, and not allowed the issue to snowball.

A retired Secretary of the Government of India feels that if at all there has been encroachment, it could be the result of the local Myanmar Army commander's "adventurism". His action need not necessarily have the sanction of Yangon.

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's response also needs to be faulted. He could have informed and alerted the Centre long back and made it aware of the gravity of the situation. But instead, he chose to lead an all-party delegation to Delhi to push the Centre into taking corrective measures, giving the impression that he did not want to antagonise certain quarters in the Congress, the party he belongs to and which leads the UPA Government in the Centre. That he confronted and fired at the Centre from the all-party shoulder smacks of opportunism.

Whatever said and done, a pusillanimous Ibobi Singh has now earned brownie points by his move and can now go to the people of Manipur that it brought the Centre to its knees by suspending the fencing work until an on-the-spot verification is jointly done. He has also managed to thumb his nose at the BJP, which boycotted the all-party delegation.

But why did North Block, which houses the Ministry of Home Affairs, had to jump the gun and start erecting the fence in the very first place ? Well, the Ministry in its zeal to prevent illegal cross border movements of insurgents, drug peddlers and gun runners from Myanmar, erected what it is calling now a "security fencing", like it did on the India-Pakistan border as well as India-Bangladesh border.

There is apparently a sudden increase in the number of Kukis in Manipur, thanks to the push of Myanmarese Kukis through the insurgent groups' route. Besides, the groups which are operating in the North East believed to have set up around 15-20 camps in Myanmar, besides they are trafficking arms to Myanmar and further to South East Asia. At a close, the route through which these illegal movements take place was being fenced.

It was necessitated because India's requests to Myanmarese Government to take action against these insurgent groups, like Bhutan cooperated with India, have gone unheeded. India's support to democratic process in that country and its support to Aung San Suu Kyi, and later as a corrective measure trying to engage with military junta in Myanmar have hindered the relationship and thus reluctance for cooperation.

But this security fencing has only compounded matters. Had the BRO and the Assam Rifles taken the heads of the villages into confidence and not fenced about 1.5 km within Indian territory as alleged, it would have been a different scenario.

The issue first surfaced in early July when local Maring tribals reported that the Myanmarese army had set up a camp at Haolenphai, a Kuki village about 3 km from Moreh. In the meantime, rumours began doing the rounds that India had struck a deal with Myanmar to give away portions of its territory to Myanmar in exchange for Myanmar taking action against Indian insurgent groups who have bases across the border. Although this theory does not hold any water, the point is why allow such a situation to linger, creating doubts in the minds of the people of the country.

Whatever be the case, it is obvious now that the Centre and the State Government which were not one on the issue, have realised the gravity of the situation now.

The issue of demarcation of the India-Myanmar international border through a joint survey by the Surveyor General of India and its counterpart in Myanmar has apparently been hanging in fire for the past two years. Not even baby steps have been taken on the ground.

A neglected border has been calling for attention. It is high time Delhi took action, pursued the matter with the Myanmar Government with more urgency and vigour before it triggers anger among the people of Manipur once again. With Myanmar showing no urgency, it is incumbent upon India to pursue the matter with Myanmar.

With the 2014 Lok Sabha elections round the corner, political parties are likely to take advantage of the situation and make it a political issue and Ibobi Singh has already signalled that. Besides, insurgents, too, will exploit the uncertainty.

However, before the Indian Government presses Myanmar over the much-delayed joint survey of the border, it must first put its own house in order and be sure that there has been no encroachment on its territory.