Border Security Zone (Namor)
| Border Security Zone | |
|---|---|
Бинсаи Анку | |
| Namo-Luziycan border | |
| File:Fcamap.png Border Security Zone | |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | Access only granted by Namorese government |
| Condition | Fully manned and operational |
| Site history | |
| In use | since 1946 |
The Border Security Zone (BSZ, Бинсаи Анку tr. Binsai Anku) is a border zone occupying a strip of land near the Namorese border with Luziyca. Set up in 1946, the BSZ's primary purpose is to protect Namor's northern borderlands from Luziycan infiltration.
The BSZ currently covers half of Txotai and the coast of Shanpei north of Vetpei Bay, running through a total of eight prefectures. By law, the BSZ covers all territories that are situated within 100 kilometers of the Namo-Luziycan border, with a few exceptions. Over two million people permanently reside in the BSZ, the majority of whom are Otekians. The Namorese Liberation Army maintains a large presence in the BSZ, while practical bureaucratic functions in the BSZ are carried out by the Frontier Civil Administration (FCA), an agency of the Namorese Ministry of Defense.
Travel to the BSZ is restricted. Anyone who wishes to enter the BSZ must obtain a permit from the Ministry of Defense. Permanent residence in the BSZ is restricted to native residents and Namorese citizens conducting economic activities, such as fishing or oil drilling, in the Gulf of Gelyevich.
History
The BSZ was established in 1946 after Namor regained control of Txotai in the Second Namo-Luziycan War. The BSZ initially covered all of Txotai and the entire coast of Shanpei and was administered by the Northern Frontier Administration (NFA), a military government appointed by Namo.
New developments in the 1980s made the NFA increasingly unpalatable. The 1983 Otekian unrest dampened support for military rule in Txotai while Luziyca and Namor were close to normalizing relations. Because the NFA was a wartime institution, it would no longer have a legal basis to exist once Luziyca and Namor declared an end to hostilities. However, the idea of completely demilitarizing the Namo-Luziycan border was unpopular in Namor due to fears that a conflict could still reignite even after diplomatic relations were established. Thus, plans were put into place to prepare Txotai for civilian rule while keeping the border secure.
The NFA was disbanded on May 1, 1991, a year after Luziyca and the People's Republic of Namor reestablished diplomatic ties. The BSZ was shrunk to so-called "strategically sensitive areas" — the coast of Shanpei north of Vetpei Bay and the northern half of Txotai located within 100 kilometers of the border. The administration of the BSZ was transferred to the FCA.
Unrest broke out in the BSZ in 1995 following the introduction of the Regional Security Law to Txotai's Regional Council. In response to the unrest, thousands of people living in the BSZ were stripped of their permanent residency status and relocated to southern Txotai. Similar measures were taken in the aftermath of the 2007 Otekian unrest.
In 2008, the first port of entry between Namor and Luziyca was opened on Tuman Pass, a mountain pass situated between the Luziycan state of Chayevsky and Txotai. The Border Personnel Meeting Point (BPMP, Бинсаи Лонян Четоку tr. Binsai Lonyan Chetoku), a house sitting directly on the border, was built next to the port of entry to host meetings between Namorese and Luziycan soldiers.
In 2009, the Namorese government unveiled a plan to build a cross-border undersea tunnel on the eastern flank of the BSZ that would connect Shanpei with Limani, forming the second passage between Namor and Luziyca. However, the plan was met with opposition due to fears that a tunnel would erode Namorese sovereignty and bring environmental damage to the Gulf of Gelyevich. Ultimately, the project was shelved.
Proposals to demilitarize the border
Since Luziyca and Namor normalized relations, there have been calls to shrink or dissolve the BSZ so that the Namo-Luziycan border may be fully demilitarized. Proponents of demilitarization argue that the BSZ creates an unnecessary buffer between Namor and Luziyca despite the fact that both countries are no longer at war. Dismantling the BSZ would remove restrictions on economic activity in the area, creating new jobs and encouraging the movement of goods and people. Some have argued for demilitarizing the border on humanitarian grounds, arguing that the large military and police presence in the BSZ has led to abuses against local residents, primarily Otekians who make up the majority in northern Txotai.
The Apostolic Catholic Church has noted that many churches and Apostolic Catholic relics fall within the BSZ and are subject to removal by the authorities at any time to make way for military infrastructure. The Tomb of the Patriarchs in Kovdor, considered to be the second-holiest Christian site in Namor, is located within the BSZ. The tomb is the only holy site in the BSZ that is officially designated as a national treasure and protected by law.
The Namorese government has always been opposed to dissolving the BSZ, citing the zone's effectiveness at preventing a Luziycan invasion and incursions by Otekian separatist groups such as the Knights of Saint Luther. However, it has at times committed to an eventual demilitarization of the border. Fu Wen became the first Namorese President-General to support a "normal border," although it was unclear whether the BSZ would continue to exist alongside such a border. In 2007, Namor and Luziyca signed a joint declaration promising to eventually demilitarize the border, raising speculations that the BSZ may someday be dismantled. But after the left-wing opposition condemned the joint declaration as an attempt to "de-secure" the border, the Namorese Foreign Ministry replied that the government had no plans to remove the BSZ.
Since coming to power in 2015, the government of Antelope Shohai has rejected the demilitarization of the border and removal of the BSZ as untimely as long as some disputes with Luziyca, chiefly the status of Nantai, remain unresolved.
Environmentalists in Namor are generally against removing the BSZ due to its role in protecting the natural habitat of the border areas.