India–Myanmar border

The trijunction between India, China and Myanmar is not yet agreed among the three nations. The de facto tripoint is located just north of the Diphu Pass.^[2] From here the border proceeds to the south-west through the Mishmi Hills, except for an Indian protrusion at the Chaukan Pass, then continuing through the Patkai and Kassom Ranges. At the south-east corner of Manipur it turns sharply westwards along various rivers for a period over to the Tiau River. It then follows this river southwards for a long stretch down to the Chin Hills, before turning west and proceeding to the Bangladeshi tripoint via a series of irregular lines.^[2]

The first formation of the Indo-Burmese border was through the First Anglo-Burmese War, which resulted in the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826. The Burmese relinquished control over Assam, Manipur, Rakhine (Arakan), and the Taninthayi coast, thereby delimiting much of the modern boundary in general terms.^[3][4] In 1834 the Kabaw Valley areas was returned to Burma and a modified boundary delimited in this region, dubbed the 'Pemberton line' after a British commissioner, which was later refined in 1881.^[2] In 1837 the Patkai Hills were unilaterally designated as the northern boundary.^[2]

Large swathes of Burma were annexed to the British Empire following the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852–53.^[2][5] The remainder of Burma was conquered in 1885 and incorporated into British India.^[6][7][8]

In 1894 a boundary between Manipur and the Chin Hills (recognized as part of Burma) was delimited, and the existing 'Pemberton line' boundary modified again in 1896.^[2] Further boundary modifications were made in 1901, 1921 and 1922.^[2]

In 1937 Burma was split off from India and became a separate colony.^[9] In 1947 India gained independence, however the country was partitioned into two states (India and Pakistan), with the southernmost section of the Burma-India border becoming that between Burma and East Pakistan (modern Bangladesh).^[2] Burma gained independence in 1948.^[2] On 10 March 1967 Burma and India signed a boundary treaty which delimited their common frontier in detail.^[2] Security along the border has often been poor, owing to ongoing conflicts in north-east India and western Myanmar.^[10]

From the beginning, India and Burma (later known as Myanmar) operated a free movement regime (FMR) for the tribal communities living along their common border, recognizing the communities' age-old economic and cultural ties.^[11] The Burma Passport Rules of 1948 allowed indigenous populations of all the countries bordering Burma to travel to Burma without passports or permits, provided they lived within 40 km (25 mi) from the border. In 1950, India also amended its passport rules to allow the tribes people residing within 40 km around the border to travel to India and stay up to 72 hours.^[12][13]

In 1968, following a variety of insurgencies in its northeastern states, India unilaterally introduced a permit system for travelling across the border.^[14] This provision remained in place for the next 40 years.^[12]

In 2004, following the growth of drug trafficking and arms smuggling, India reduced the travel limit to 16 km (9.9 mi) and allowed border crossing only through three designated points: Pangsau (Arunachal Pradesh), Moreh (Manipur) and Zokhawthar (Mizoram).^[12]

Following further abuses of FMR, a formal agreement with Myanmar was proposed by India in 2014, and, after negotiations, an Agreement on Land Border Crossing was signed by the two countries on 11 May 2018.^[12] As per the agreement, the residents of the two countries living within 16 km of the border are issued border passes, which they must carry at all times after crossing the border. They can stay on the other side for up to 14 days.^[15][16]

In January 2024, amidst ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, the Government of India signalled that it intends to terminate the free movement regime amid allegations from the Government of Manipur that it was facing problems of illegal immigration, drug peddling and arms smuggling.^[17][18] The proposal was opposed by the Government of Mizoram,^[19] and civil society organisations in Manipur and Nagaland.^[20] Nevertheless, the Government of India suspended the FMR on February 8, 2024, pending negotiation with Myanmar on eventual termination.^[21]

The India–Myanmar barrier, a border barrier along 1,624-kilometre (1,009 mi)-long border under-construction by India, aims to seal the border, curtail cross-border crime, including goods, arms and counterfeit currency smuggling, drug trafficking,^[22] and insurgency.^[23][24] Four Northeast Indian states share the border with Myanmar, i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur. Both national governments agreed to conduct a joint survey before erecting the fence. The Indian Home Ministry and its Myanmar counterpart completed the study within six months and, in March 2003 began erecting a fence along the border.^[25] In 2024, India approved ₹30,000 crore (US$3.6 billion) for the construction of border fence along the Myanmar border.^[26] Of the total, 1,624-kilometre (1,009 mi) length, only 30 km was fenced by September 2024, remaining was being expedited.^[26]

Issues have been raised that many local ethnic communities, such as the Kuki, Naga, Mizo, and Chins whose lands straddle the regions between the two countries, will be divide by this fence.^[25][24] However, the Indian security forces justify the need for the fence by blaming the porous border as a national security threat.^[27] For example, during two year period between 2001-2003 alone 200 security personnel and civilians died in the militancy-related violence in the region,^[27] and in 2007 a violent boundary dispute arose among the locals regarding the ownership of nine border pillars in Manipur.^[28] India has similar fence on borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.^[29]

The Indo-Myanmar Border Force (IMBF) is a proposed and soon-to-be-composed^[when?] force of 29 battalions - 25 battalions from Assam Rifles and 4 battalions from Indo-Tibetan Border Police - to guard the 1,643-kilometre (1,021 mi) long Indo-Myanmar border. IMBF will remain under ITBP and will patrol the border to the zero line (as of January 2018).^[30]

See Haats on India-Myanmar border.

 

• Moreh, India to Tamu, Myanmar in Manipur.^[31][32]
• Zorinpui International border crossing in Mizoram.^[33]

The India–Myanmar border had a Free Movement Regime (FMR) which allows tribes living along the border to travel 16 km (9.9 mi) across either side of the border without visa restrictions.^[34] There are over 250 villages with over 300,000 people living within 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of the border who used to frequently cross the border through 150 small and large formal and informal border crossings^[35] before the Government of India suspended the FMR.^[21]

• Diphu Pass to Myanmar in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Nampong to Pangsau Pass near Lake of No Return on Myanmar side, via National Highway 153 (India) (Ledo Road which is part of Stilwell Road)

• Behiang to Khenman via Tedim Road.^[36]
• Moreh to Tamu has an integrated immigration check post with customs.

• Zorinpui, on Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, is 287 km (178 mi) away from Sittwe Port and 90 km (56 mi) from Aizawl-Saiha National Highway (National Highway 54 (India) (NH-54)) at Lawngtlai in Mizoram. NH-54 continues further to Dabaka in Assam via the 850 km (530 mi) long NH-54. NH-54 is part of the larger East-West Corridor connecting North East India with the rest of India.^[37] It is a designated customs and immigration post, open to all categories of international travellers with valid travel document and visa.^[33]
• Zokhawthar to Khawmawi and Rikhawdar via the bridge over the Harhva river.

India and Myanmar have maritime exclusive economic zones in each other's vicinity. Landfall Island, India's northernmost Island in Andaman and Nicobar is 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Coco Islands belonging to Myanmar.^[38]

• India–Myanmar relations

• Gurudas Das; N. Bijoy Singh; C. Joshua Thomas, eds. (2005), Indo-Myanmar Border Trade: Status, Problems, and Potentials, Akansha Publishing House, ISBN 9788183700078