KOHIMA: The Tenyimi Union Nagaland (TUN), an apex body of five major tribes in Nagaland, has opposed the Central government's decision to fence the Indo-Myanmar border, claiming that it will have a "devastating" impact on the Naga people, their livelihoods and their cultural ties.
TUN is the apex body of five tribes—Angami, Chakhesang, Pochury, Rengma and Zeliang. It claimed that the fencing of the Indo-Myanmar border will disrupt the economic lifelines, isolate communities, break vital connections, and restrict access to education and healthcare.
"The fence is not just a physical barrier, it is an assault on our identity, heritage, and dignity," said TUN president Kekhwengulo Lea in an statement issued on Wednesday.
It urged the Central government to reconsider the decision to fence the Indo-Myanmar border, stressing the importance of safeguarding the ancestral lands and upholding the rights and dignity of the Naga people.
"The Free Movement Regime (FMR) introduced in the 1950s allowed limited cross-border travel, but successive regulations have since curtailed this, severely affecting the Naga communities' ability to maintain cross-border social, cultural, and economic ties," Lea said.
The TUN has called on all Naga individuals, communities, and organizations to unite in opposition to the border fencing and to defend the Naga people's collective future from further division and fragmentation.