India to fence entire 1,643 km-long Myanmar border, to build patrol track: Amit Shah

Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Tuesday that the central government has decided to build a fence along the entire 1643-kilometre Indo-Myanmar border.

Additionally, a patrol track will be constructed along the border to enhance surveillance.

"The Modi government is committed to building impenetrable borders. It has decided to construct a fence along the entire 1,643-kilometer-long Indo-Myanmar border. To facilitate better surveillance, a patrol track along the border will also be paved," HM Shah said in an X post.

He added that the government has already fenced a 10 km stretch in Moreh, Manipur, out of the total border length. Additionally, there are two ongoing pilot projects involving fencing through a Hybrid Surveillance System (HSS). These projects will cover a stretch of 1 km each in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, Shah said.

Moreover, approvals for fence works covering approximately 20 km in Manipur have been granted, and the work is set to commence soon, the home minister said.

Manipur shares approximately 390 km of its border with Myanmar, but only about 10 km has been fenced so far. In July last year, the state government shared data indicating that around 700 illegal immigrants had entered the state.

Additionally, Mizoram has witnessed an influx of anti-Junta rebels in the thousands since the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February 2021. According to government estimates, several thousand refugees have taken refuge in various parts of Mizoram since the coup.

Mizoram shares a 510-km-long border with Myanmar.

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh also said that several people from Myanmar attempted to enter his state but retreated upon encountering a large number of security personnel.

Apart from Manipur and Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh shares a 520-km border with Myanmar, and Nagaland shares a 215-km border with the country.