Without IDs, Arakan youths’ study abroad dreams dashed 

By Admin 07 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
7 December 2024, Mrauk-U

Arakan youths living in Yangon say difficulties with acquiring citizenship ID cards are hampering their dreams of studying abroad.

Citizenship ID cards are necessary to apply for passports. Arakan youths in Yangon, however, dare not go to immigration offices to apply for citizenship ID cards because they fear that they might be conscripted by Myanmar’s military regime.

In Myanmar, people need to renew their citizenship IDs after they reach the age of 18. They also need to apply for a new one if they lose their ID cards.

One young Arakan man in Yangon said: “I dare not go to the immigration office because of the conscription law. They arrest people at will. So, I dare not go.”

Arakan migrants are concerned for their safety as the regime snatches young people on the streets and also abducts them from homes using overnight guest checks as a pretense.

The regime also arrests locals in the Arakan State capital Sittwe, causing security concerns for those needing to exchange their ID cards, said the young Arakan man living in Yangon, who is planning to study in Japan and needs to renew his citizenship ID after turning 18.

“I heard we still can apply for citizenship ID in Sittwe, but I also heard that junta soldiers deployed at Sittwe Airport also arrest people at will. So, I dare not go.”

Some Arakan migrants in Yangon have chosen to apply for citizenship ID cards in other areas, though it is costly to do so.

One young Arakan woman said: “It was not convenient for me to apply in Yangon. So, I applied in Mon State. It has cost me around 1 million kyats, but I still haven’t got it yet. I am afraid I will have to spend more.”

When they ask their families in Arakan State to send the necessary documents including household registration certificates to apply for citizenship ID cards, it takes months due to the junta’s travel restrictions.

Many Arakanese people in other parts of the country have been leaving Myanmar due to security risks and the lack of job opportunities. Most of them are leaving illegally, according to labour rights activists.