The Chakma NGOs of Mizoram have demanded that the border with Myanmar should be fenced to prevent smuggling of drugs, arms and influx of foreigners.

“If India’s border with Bangladesh can be fenced, the border with Myanmar should also be fenced to prevent unabated smuggling of drugs, arms and influx of foreigners. This is only in the shared interest of the people of India and Myanmar. It is the shared responsibility of the governments of India and Myanmar as well as all the communities, whether Mizo or Chakma, to protect the present as well as future generations,” a statement released by Chakma NGOs said on Friday.

In response to the statement of the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (Mizo Students Association) that the Chakma NGOs of Mizoram had asked for sealing of the Mizoram-Myanmar border out of “envy of the good relations between the Mizoram and Myanmar people”, the Chakma NGOs in an open letter to the MZP said in the last 15 days, contraband valued at over Rs 100 crore smuggled from Myanmar were seized by the authorities in Mizoram and 134 drug peddlers/smugglers have been arrested.

The drugs seized by the Mizoram authorities included 39 lakh tablets of methamphetamine weighing 429kg and valued at Rs 97.5 crore seized on February 29; 99,600 methamphetamine tablets valued at Rs 2.4 crore seized on February 13 and 137gm of heroin valued at Rs 3 lakh seized on February 18.

“The seized drugs are only a small segment of all the drugs smuggled from Myanmar through the porous borders,” said Paritosh Chakma, the president of the Mizoram Chakma Alliance Against Discrimination, speaking on behalf of the Chakma NGOs of Mizoram.

Mizoram home minister Lalchamliana on February 25 told the Assembly that a total of 632 arms and 47,510 rounds of live ammunition have been seized by the state police since 2004, smuggled into the state mostly from Myanmar and 32 armed smugglers were arrested of whom 12 were Myanmarese nationals.

The seized arms included 134 AK-47 rifles, 8 AK-56 rifles and 26 light machine guns, among others.

MZP vice-president Peter Chhangte earlier on March 4 in a statement to the media, had alleged that Chakma NGOs had demanded to seal the Mizoram-Myanmar border “to create a disorder between both sides”.

On friendly relations with neighbouring countries, the Chakma NGOs said, “The relations with Bangladesh are so cordial that on March 2, India’s foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla assured the government of Bangladesh that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of Assam will have zero implication for Bangladesh which means that not a single NRC excluded person shall be repatriated to Bangladesh.”