India interior ministry recommends suspending free movement with Myanmar

Since a military coup in Myanmar in 2021, hundreds of civilians and troops have fled to Indian states where communities between the two countries share ethnic and familial ties.

India's interior ministry has recommended the immediate suspension of its free movement regime with Myanmar, Interior Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday.

The free movement regime allows people from both countries to travel visa-free across borders for a few kilometres. Since a military coup in Myanmar in 2021, hundreds of civilians and troops have fled to Indian states where communities between the two countries share ethnic and familial ties. This has worried New Delhi because of risks of tensions spreading to India.

Myanmar's military rulers last week extended a state of emergency in place since the coup, as the junta battles to contain a bloody, pro-democracy rebellion that has severely tested its ability to govern.