Approximately 55 kilometers of the border fence along India’s Manipur State and Myanmar has been completed, with the entire stretch targeted for completion by 2028, Manipur State Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam announced on September 2.
The minister disclosed the details in the State Legislative Assembly during a response to a calling attention motion raised by opposition MLA K. Ranjit Singh regarding reports of a proposed India-Myanmar land exchange.
Addressing the assembly, the Home Minister stated that the Manipur state government has not received any official communication from the Ministry of External Affairs regarding a land swap.
He emphasized that the government must consult affected residents before making decisions regarding territorial sovereignty.
Reports surfaced that the Indian government proposed a boundary adjustment involving approximately 1.4 square miles of land between border pillars 65 and 68, situated between Manipur’s Chandel district, India, and the Kabaw Valley in Sagaing Region, Myanmar.
The reports, initially published by The Diplomat on July 17, followed a visit to India by Myanmar Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing from May 30 to June 3, during which border security issues were discussed.
The minister explained that Manipur shares a 398-kilometer border with Myanmar, spanning from border pillars 32 to 130, with fencing currently completed along roughly 55 kilometers.
He highlighted the Moreh sector, between border pillars 75 and 79, as a vital and sensitive strategic area.
He added that logistics and difficulties in transporting construction materials have delayed the project, while demarcation work on remaining unmarked border stretches is ongoing.
However, resistance forces on the Myanmar side have voiced opposition to the project. A representative from the Tamu Township People’s Defense Force (PDF) told Mizzima that border fencing cannot be executed unilaterally, especially in undemarcated areas where territorial disputes persist.
“The fencing issue cannot be resolved unilaterally,” the PDF member said. “There are undemarcated territories and instances of encroachment. Fencing should not be forced through at this time and should only proceed after consulting a democratically elected government and gaining the agreement of local communities.”
According to the PDF representative, at least six instances of territorial encroachment from the Indian side have been documented.
Local PDF units have organized protests at active construction sites, including areas near Myothit town in upper Tamu Township, the Moreh-Tamu corridor, and stretches near border pillars 59–60, 75–76, and 82–83.
The representative also cited an unresolved incident near border pillar 59, alleging that Indian military personnel crossed into Myanmar, raided a Tamu District People’s Defense Team (PDT/PaKaPha) camp, and killed 10 members.
India is currently working to fence its entire 1,643-kilometer border with Myanmar to curb drug trafficking, illegal trade, undocumented migration, refugee spillovers, armed conflict, and broader security threats.
Despite New Delhi's security push, indigenous communities along the border—including the Mizo, Naga, Kuki, and Zo populations—continue to oppose the barrier.
They argue that a physical fence divides indigenous ancestral lands, disrupts local agricultural livelihoods, and severs shared ethnic and cultural ties.
