India decided to build a fence along the length 1,643 km its border with Myanmarannounced today Indian Home Minister Amit Shah in a post on social media X (formerly Twitter).

For better surveillance, the minister noted that a road will also be built along the border for patrolling.

“The Modi government is committed to building impenetrable borders,” the federal government’s home minister noted.

The country has already erected a 10km long fence along the border in the state of Manipur, which has attracted international attention due to the ongoing ethnic conflict in the region.

Shah elaborated on two pilot projects to build a fence along India’s northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur and the approval of a new 20-km fence in Manipur.

In January, the federal home minister had announced India’s intention to build the fence and plans to review the free movement agreement with Myanmar.

The Free Movement Agreement between the two countries allows the populations of tribal communities, living on both sides of the border, to travel up to a certain distance within the territory of the other country without the need for a visa (entry visa).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government updated the agreement in 2018.

The proposal to build a fence along all borders and review the Free Movement Agreement calls into question the free movement of tribal populations.

India’s decision to strengthen its porous border comes amid growing instability in Myanmar following a 2021 military coup and ethnic conflict in the border state of Manipur, in which more than 180 people have died.