Longwa Chief (Angh) Whose House Falls Half in India and Half in Myanmar Urges Centre to Reconsider FMR

Northeast Live travelled to his home in Longwa to bring you this story.

In a heartfelt appeal, Tonyei Phawang, the 49-year-old Angh (Chief) of Longwa village in Mon district of Nagaland, whose house falls half in India and half in Myanmar, has urged the Central and Nagaland Governments to scrap its decision to erect a fence along the Indo-Myanmar border and to retain the Free Movement Regime (FMR).

“People on both sides of the border (India and Myanmar) in Mon district belong to the Konyak Naga tribes. We are interdependent. Our families live across the border. We do not want the Indo-Myanmar border to be fenced,” Phawang, the 10th-generation Angh of Longwa, told Northeast Live who was at his home.

He said the decision to fence the border and scrap the FMR has broken their hearts. “India is now a global leader. We hoped India would develop our education, electricity, and infrastructure. But this decision has dashed all hopes. If fencing is done, the Konyaks will suffer heavy losses. We will lose agricultural land and our source of livelihood.”

Tonyei Phawang said many people from Myanmar came crying to him, begging him to appeal to the Indian government. “They said if the government goes ahead, they should just wipe us out completely. If both governments consider us their citizens, they should not erect a fence and must continue the Free Movement Regime.”

He stressed that Longwa villagers work together across both countries. “We have fields in both India and Myanmar. We do rotational farming. About 70% of our farmland lies in Myanmar. If I need to go to Myanmar, I don’t need a pass. I inform the security forces verbally and move freely.”

He warned that scrapping the FMR would impact tourism and isolate the village. “If fencing comes up, tourists will stop coming, and our village will suffer.”

Tonyei Phawang also said, “I implore the authorities to allow us to coexist peacefully as we always have. Do not divide us with fences. We are also Indian citizens. If any law-and-order issues arise in the future, the government can act accordingly. But for now, everything is peaceful. I appeal to the Government of India to listen to our voices.”

Phawang stressed the deep-rooted cultural and social ties shared by the Konyak Naga communities on both sides of the border and warned that the fencing would tear apart their centuries-old ways of life.

He said that his own house is split by the international border. “Right now, we are sitting in Burma. This post divides my house,” he said. Phawang revealed that he rules over more than 30 villages in Myanmar and only five in India.

Phawang said he has written to the Nagaland government but has not been able to contact the Myanmar government due to the ongoing crisis there. “I urge both governments to continue the Free Movement Regime as before. There used to be regular India-Myanmar friendship meetings before COVID-19. We see no need for border fencing. Life here is peaceful now.”

The chief shared that villagers have always helped the Anghs to build their homes and in farming, as there is no financial support from the government and the present home that he is living in was built with the help of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. “Sometimes tourists help. MLAs and ministers give us some money for daily needs. This house we are in was constructed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio when he was an MP. Without his help, we would have faced many difficulties.”

Tonyei Phawang lamented that the plight of Anghs has never been properly highlighted to central and state leaders. “We migrated from Arunachal Pradesh in the 16th or 17th century and settled here at Longwa. At that time, there was no India or Burma, only Konyaks, Nagas, and Longwa. In the 1970s, when the Indian government demarcated the border, our forefathers didn’t understand English, Nagamese, or Hindi. If they had known, they would have shared their suggestions.”

Even after the border was marked, there were no issues, he said. “We moved freely. We get supplies, education, and medicine from the Indian government. We use Indian currency. Myanmar cannot bring development to this border area. In 1987-88, when S.C. Jamir was the chief minister, he announced an international trade centre here. We are still waiting for it.”

He also mentioned the progress he has witnessed. “We have a school called Shalom School, earlier sponsored by Germany and built on my land. Children from both sides study there free of charge. The tradition continues.”

Admitting that anti-social elements still exist, he added, “Gun culture has significantly reduced compared to earlier times. We now live in harmony.”

Also Read: Massive Protests in Manipur’s Ukhrul and Nagaland Against Indo-Myanmar Border Fencing, Demand for Free Movement Regime Restoration

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