Published
Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 14:27
SPDC issues ID cards to Rohingya youths
Maungdaw, Arakan State : The Burmese immigration authorities have been issuing temporary Identity (ID) cards to all Rohingya youths in Maungdaw Township since March 22. Youths who have attained the age of 18 before May 2008 will be allowed to vote in the forthcoming nationwide constitutional referendum, according to a schoolteacher from Maungdaw Township .
Maungdaw, Arakan State : The Burmese immigration authorities have been issuing temporary Identity (ID) cards to all Rohingya youths in Maungdaw Township since March 22. Youths who have attained the age of 18 before May 2008 will be allowed to vote in the forthcoming nationwide constitutional referendum, according to a schoolteacher from Maungdaw Township .
The immigration department has authorized the Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) Chairmen to issue Identity (ID) cards to the Rohingya youths. The color of the ID card is white.
The VPDC Chairmen of the village tracts of Loun Don and Bawli Bazaar village in Maungdaw Township issued National Identity cards to the Rohingya youths.
VPDC Chairman U Maung Maung of Loun Don collected kyat 500 per head to issue the identity cards while Mohamed, the VPDC Chairman of Bawli Bazaar collected kyat 250 per head. But, some Rohingya youths are reluctant to take ID cards paying money, said a village elder on condition of anonymity.
Since the beginning of March, VPDC members in Maungdaw Township have been collecting the list of youths and taking photographs.
The draft constitution was made by the government-formed State Constitution Drafting Commission (SCDC) on February19 to seek public approval through the referendum. The referendum law grants every citizen, associate citizen, naturalized citizen and temporary certificate holders, who have attained 18 years of age on the day of referendum, to vote.
According to the SPDC, the referendum is to pave the way for general elections scheduled for 2010 under the government's seven-step road map to transform the military administration into a civil one.
The new constitution had been drafted by the SPDC since December 3 last year, after a 14-year long national convention which started in 1993 and ended in September 2007.
The immigration department has authorized the Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) Chairmen to issue Identity (ID) cards to the Rohingya youths. The color of the ID card is white.
The VPDC Chairmen of the village tracts of Loun Don and Bawli Bazaar village in Maungdaw Township issued National Identity cards to the Rohingya youths.
VPDC Chairman U Maung Maung of Loun Don collected kyat 500 per head to issue the identity cards while Mohamed, the VPDC Chairman of Bawli Bazaar collected kyat 250 per head. But, some Rohingya youths are reluctant to take ID cards paying money, said a village elder on condition of anonymity.
Since the beginning of March, VPDC members in Maungdaw Township have been collecting the list of youths and taking photographs.
The draft constitution was made by the government-formed State Constitution Drafting Commission (SCDC) on February19 to seek public approval through the referendum. The referendum law grants every citizen, associate citizen, naturalized citizen and temporary certificate holders, who have attained 18 years of age on the day of referendum, to vote.
According to the SPDC, the referendum is to pave the way for general elections scheduled for 2010 under the government's seven-step road map to transform the military administration into a civil one.
The new constitution had been drafted by the SPDC since December 3 last year, after a 14-year long national convention which started in 1993 and ended in September 2007.
