NSF Wants ‘UN’ Intervention on CURBING of FMR

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 “𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐠𝐞”. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 “𝐬𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧”.

The Naga Students’ Federation has on 8th February 2024 written to Antònio Guterres, Secretary General, United Nations, appealing for “immediate intervention against further fragmentation of Naga homeland by occupational forces” in the wake of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement of the Government of India’s commitment to fence the border of India and Myanmar and also to immediately suspend the Free Movement Regime (FMR) in the border areas. In its representation, the NSF expressed concerns that the decisions of the government may “sow the seeds of discord and unrest in the region”. It alleged GoI of “acting undemocratically, by investing more on the unjust war efforts to keep the Nagas permanently under siege”. The proposal for the fence and scrapping of FMR is one of such repressive policies to control day-to-day pursuits for subsistence, basic agricultural and micro-economic activities of the Nagas living across the boundary, NSF President Medovi Rhi and General Secretary Chumben Khuvung stated in the letter.

Following is the complete text of the representation of the Naga Students’ Federation: We the undersigned, representing the sentiments and the aspirations of the Naga youth, bring to your urgent attention on the serious threats propounded by the Indian occupational force to fence the arbitrary India-Myanmar border and abolish Free Movement Regime. The ploy manifests clear evidence of the government of India’s insincerity and insensitivity towards the inherent Naga birth right and the hope for the Naga people to once again live as free people.

The occupation of free Naga Homeland by the Indian and Burmese armed forces in violation of the Naga nationhood and the resistance by the Naga people is more than seven decades. Despite the unaccountable atrocities perpetrated on the Naga people by the colonial governments, the Naga ceasefire agreement with government of India and Myanmar (erstwhile Burma) and various other agreements and joint communiqués gave a ray of hope for a political solution. However, situation has become precarious.

The Naga people look forward to your unconditional support in delivering justice and ensuring sustainable settlement to the protracted political impasse.