Burma Border Fencing Project Raises Concerns in India

14 August 2013

Indian civil society groups and opposition parties are calling for the suspension of ongoing India-Burma border fencing work, which they say will carve out of a large area of Indian land for Burma, Indian media report. The 10-km fencing exercise is intended to curb drug smuggling and cross-border movement, the Times of India reported Wednesday, but civil society groups say 14 villages in India’s Manipur State will likely fall into Burma as a result of the project. To respond to the public criticism, the Manipur State cabinet has set up a committee to review the fencing exercise, the newspaper reported.