Sixteen village chiefs from the Kuki community along the India-Myanmar border have declared a stance of “non-cooperation” in response to ongoing border fencing activities. They are demanding an immediate halt to all such operations until their political requests are addressed.
In a joint statement, the chiefs expressed their opposition to both the construction of the border fence and the proposed repeal of the Free Movement Regime (FMR). They noted that they have organized rallies and submitted memorandums to the relevant authorities outlining their concerns.
“In the interest of the Kuki-Zo people, we are compelled to declare our non-cooperation by not claiming land compensation or entering into negotiations until our political demands are met and normalcy returns to the state,” the statement read.
The Kuki organizations have long sought a separate administrative setup for their community, a demand that faces strong opposition from the Meitei community, which insists on maintaining the territorial and administrative integrity of Manipur.
Manipur shares a 398-km-long international border with Myanmar, and officials report that 10 km of fencing has been completed to date.
