Junta scheme to swap citizen ID cards for ‘smart’ alternative

By Admin 26 Oct 2023

DMG Newsroom
26 October 2023, Sittwe
 
Myanmar’s military regime is working to turn national identity cards into “smart cards”, and data collection and education is being carried out in Arakan State.
 
The regime is using a computerised system to change the IDs of residents in Sittwe, Taungup, Thandwe and Rathedaung townships to smart cards and collect information on individual citizens from this October.
 
Political analysts believe the military regime is changing citizens’ ID cards to smart cards because it wants to better control the information it has on individuals at a time when the country is in a state of military, political and economic instability.
 
“If the junta is going to change citizens’ ID cards to smart cards for public security, it should only be done when the region is stable,” said U Pe Than, a politician in Arakan State.
 
List of government employees from the Arakan State military council office and General Administration Department in Sittwe, and government departments in Rathedaung, was collected starting on October 23.
 
U Hla Thein, spokesperson for the Arakan State military council, wrote on his Facebook page that Face ID captures facial images, fingerprints, and biometrics to verify the accuracy of individuals’ information.
 
“The enumeration is based on a computer system, so when you look at Face ID wherever you are, you can distinguish whether this person is a real citizen or not,” he said.
 
Regarding the change of citizens’ ID cards to smart cards, awareness trainings are being conducted at the General Administration Department office in Thandwe from this October.
 
A social activist from Thandwe said he would monitor the military regime’s ID card conversion scheme.
 
“This period is also a good time for the military regime to exploit. If the military regime changes citizens’ ID cards to smart cards, they can do whatever they want with us if they have our personal information,” the social activist added.
 
On the other hand, crimes including robbery, murder, and rape are on the rise in Arakan State, and many of those crimes have gone without the identification of a culprit. A less cynical proposition holds that the junta’s technology upgrade could be used to better protect the public.
 
“Doing so will make it easier to catch the culprits if it’s a case like murder. … Anyhow, now we have to monitor the junta’s moves,” said Ma Zin Zin, a resident of Pauktaw.
 
According to the 2014 census, Myanmar has a population of 51 million and 38 million ID card holders.