Guwahati: Opposition to the fencing of international border has started spreading across the border with two students’ federations of Myanmar joining the protest.
In a joint statement sent to this newspaper, the Eastern Naga Students’ Federation and Naga Students’ Organisation of Myanmar have threatened to take action to stop the ongoing fencing work.
Terming as an act of cruelty the move to segregate the Naga families through border fencing initiated by Myanmar, the students’ forum said that border fencing is a mockery to Act East policy of India.
The forum urged both government of India and Myanmar to divert investment on border fencing and utilise it on development of road, infrastructure, health, education and economy, saying, “We hereby appeal to New Delhi and Naypyidaw to stop immediately such cruel moves and instead expedite talks for peace and development through investment in all those Naga-inhabited areas.”
Pointing out that more than 10,000 students from Eastern Nagaland (Myanmar) are studying in present Indian state of Nagaland, the forum feared that the fencing would directly hamper career of the students as it would stop them from getting education in their own homeland.
ENSF president Reego Shonshei Tangshang and general secretary Jüvsangthong S. Makury maintained that Nagas neither have cultural division nor social differences.
“We have been living as one family despite divide and rule policy of India and Myanmar and that our inherent right to live together cannot be stolen,” said the students.
“Nagas were divided without consultation in 1953 by then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Burmese counterpart U Nu. However, Nagas do not accept this cowardice act till today,” said the forum.
The association accused the India and Myanmar governments of not only dividing the Naga brothers but also demolishing the sovereign rights of Nagas to live together.
Earlier, both the faction of NSCN has opposed the construction of border fencing which has started at Pangsha village on international border.
