Resistance forces based in Tamu Township on the Indian border have urged the Indian government to stop building a border fence that encroaches onto Myanmar territory and to instead engage directly with the National Unity Government (NUG).

Currently Tamu Township is mostly controlled by a resistance coalition led by Tamu People’s Defence Force (PDF), but Tamu Town is still mainly controlled by the junta.

Since June 2022, the Indian government has been constructing a fence along the border between India's Manipur State and Myanmar's Tamu Township in Sagaing Region. The Tamu Township Administration, which was set up by Tamu PDF, has claimed that the fence construction encroaches on Myanmar territory in six areas.

A board member of the Tamu Township Administration said: “We’ve all agreed to oppose the construction of the fence because it’s unacceptable—it encroaches on our territory. The Indian authorities, however, want to move forward with the construction. They’ve suggested that it should proceed only after a joint inspection by both countries’ authorities.”

“We don’t want the construction to continue, especially during this period of conflict. We believe it should be suspended for now. We’ve informed the Indian authorities that if they want to proceed with a joint inspection, we’d like them to carry it out in collaboration with the NUG,” he added.

The Tamu Township administration has said that it is opposed to India building a border fence during the ongoing fighting between the junta and revolutionary forces. It has mapped the areas where the Indian fence will encroach on Myanmar’s territory and sent the maps to the NUG, according to a Tamu Township Administration board member who spoke to Khonumthung News.

They said: “The extent of encroachment from the fence construction differs across sectors. In some areas, it extends about 60 meters into Myanmar territory, in others it reaches 100 to 200 meters, and in some cases, it encroaches by as much as 400 metres.”

In response to the complaints by the Tamu Township Administration, the Indian authorities have said that they want to discuss objections to the fence with the official authorities. It is believed that when it says ’the official authorities’ India means the NUG.

The six areas in Tamu Township where the Tamu Township Administration observed that the planned Indian fence would encroach onto Myanmar territory were as follows: next to Paiyan and Wanli villages, near Myothit Town in northern Tamu Township; between border posts 82 and 83, near Wetshu and Sayar San villages, between Tamu and Myothit towns; between border posts 77 and 78, near the One Gate border crossing in Tamu Town; between border posts 75 and 76, in the south of Tamu Township; between border posts 74 and 75, opposite the Indian villages of Minou and Bitou; and between border posts 59 and 60, west of Kammagyi Village, near Khampat Town.

India is constructing a fence all along its 1,643 km border with Myanmar claiming that it is being built because of  national security concerns. The project as planned is due to cost 31 billion Indian rupees (Rs).

India claims that once the fence is completed it will prevent drug and arms smuggling and contribute to peace in the border region.