Fleecing people while issuing National Registration Cards (NRCs) or national identity cards by immigration officers of the Burmese ruling junta is on the rise in Kachin State in northern Burma, a source said.
Last month, residents of Mansi Township also called Maje in Kachin in Bhamo district, the second largest city in Kachin State were ordered make NRCs again in preparation for the 2010 elections in the country by the three assistant heads of immigration office in Mansi, residents said.
All non-NRC holders in Naung Lute, Naung Swan, Pan Kham, Manwin Gyi and Nam Kham Pa villages in Mansi have been asked for service fees ranging between 15,000 Kyat (US $13) to 100,000 Kyat (US $85) per NRC by the three immigration officers. Immigration officers in Nam Kham Township in northeast Shan State close to Mansi asked for only 3,000 Kyat (US $2.5) per NRC, said Ko Hsai Hsai in Manwin Gyi village.
In April, before the constitutional referendum on May 10, civilians in Mansi were also cheated by two immigration officers demanding service fees for the temporary white-coloured national registration cards. Card holders cannot travel outside their villages without recommendation letters from village administration offices though the junta had directed that the cards be issued free of charge, locals told KNG.
According to villagers in Mong Khing and Panse, the immigration officers in Mansi issued temporary white cards within a day and asked for Chinese Yuan 50 or 20,000 Kyat (US $17) per card in Panse and Mong Khing villages for real NRCs. But the villagers got fake white coloured cards.
U Kyaw Htun, the head of the Township Immigration Office directly appointed by Naypyidaw had demanded money from NRC applicants and was discriminating between local Burmans and non-Burmans before the referendum in May, said local NRC applicants.
According to sources close to Township Immigration Office, the officer U Kyaw Htun issued new NRCs to local Burmans quickly but, he used dilatory tactics to issue NRCs to non-Burmans like Kachins, Shans, Shan-Burmans, Chinese and other hill tribes.
The new NRC applicants in Mansi dislike U Kyaw Htun led immigration officers in the township but they have to get NRCs by paying high fees, the villagers said.
