A mobile team from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population (MOLIP) department visited That Kay Pyin (TKP) camp in Sittwe township on March 9 and 10 to issue National Verification Cards (NVC) to Rohingya residents. The team issued a total of 38 NVCs to residents of the camp on March 9.
According to reports, more than 180 individuals from TKP camp had applied for NVC with completed documentation process, while around 120 individuals could not finalize their NVC card application process on March 10. However, on March 11, MOLIP reportedly did not issue any NVCs.
The issuance of NVCs has been a contentious issue for Rohingya residents in Myanmar, with many alleging that the process is a way to take away further human rights. Rohingya groups have linked the NVC to mass expulsions and genocide, and feel that by entrenching the notion of their foreignness, the cards are a trap to bar them from accessing citizenship. The government has been urged to abolish the NVC process and amend the 1982 Citizenship Law to provide for a single citizenship status, rather than three, and to cease basing access to citizenship on ethnic categories.
The issuance of NVCs to Rohingya residents in That Kay Pyin camp is likely to be met with criticism from human rights organizations and Rohingya advocacy groups. The ongoing issue of genocide, statelessness and discrimination against the Rohingya community in Myanmar has garnered international attention and condemnation, with many calling for the government to take immediate action to address the crisis.
Recent Comments