Govt plans to end free movement regime along border with Myanmar to check influx of illegal migrants, insurgents

The Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without visa, will be ended soon, a senior government functionary said on Tuesday.

The 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, which passes through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, currently has FMR. It was implemented in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy.

Under the FMR, every member of the hill tribes, who is either a citizen of India or a citizen of Myanmar and who is resident of any area within 16 km on either side of border can cross over on production of a border pass with one year validity and can stay up to two weeks per visit.