Burmese Begin Issuing ID Cards to Mon

By LAWI WENG

Local immigration officers from Ye Township, near the headquarters of the ceasefire New Mon State Party (NMSP), have started issuing permanent Burmese identity cards to ethnic Mon people living in territory controlled by the party, according to NMSP sources.

Burmese immigration officers started issuing the permanent identity cards on February 25 and were expected to continue giving them to local residents over the age of 18 until the middle of March, the party said.

Banya Eain, a member of the NMSP, said that the identity cards were being made available to party members as well as to the general public. He added that only around 300 members of the party currently possess official Burmese ID cards.

According to a report released last month by the Mon Relief Development Committee, which is based in Sangkhlaburi on the Thai-Burmese border, there are over 3,000 people living in the NMSP’s territory in southern Mon State.

Most don’t have Burmese identity cards because they fled to the area during the civil war between the Mon and Burmese armies. Even after the NMSP signed a ceasefire deal with the Burmese junta in 1995, many people chose to remain in the party’s territory because of continuing human rights abuses by the Burmese army in other parts of Mon State.

Until last year, when the Burmese authorities began issuing temporary ID cards, most people living in the area used cards issued by the NMSP when they traveled to Ye or the state capital of Moulmein.

Chay Mon, another member of the party, said that some NMSP leaders were reluctant to allow Burmese immigration officers to enter their territory because they were worried about the Burmese military learning where their bases are located.

He added, however, that the leaders had to agree to allow some Burmese officials to enter their territory because the identity cards are essential for local people.

Meanwhile, the NMSP has announced that the party doesn’t support the Burmese regime’s plans to hold an election next year. The party secretary, Nai Hang Tha, said that the new constitution, which was written by the Burmese military, guarantees neither democracy nor ethnic rights.

Burmese immigration officers have been issuing identity cards to people living in different ethnic areas of Burma in preparation for the upcoming election. Recently, permanent identity cards were issued to Wa ethnic people in Shan State.