Burma's immigration department plans to issue ID cards to everyone living in the country so that they can vote in this year's election, said a departmental source in Maungdaw.

Burma is going for elections this year after two decades and the military government is pushing for a high voter turnout. Because of this, the regime is arranging to issue ID cards to all Burmese people.

"We have plans to issue some kind of ID cards to people living in Burma, until 31 October, so they can vote in the forthcoming election. Everyone who is 18 years or older will get at least one ID card for the election," the official said.

Burma's immigration department currently issues five kinds of ID cards to Burmese residents, which are: the National ID Card, the Scrutinized Citizen Card, the Foreign Citizen Card, the Temporary National ID Card, and another card called "Pyu Naingan Tha" in Burmese.

Of those five cards, the immigration department has been issuing Temporary National ID cards coloured white to the Muslim community in Arakan State. This white card lists the bearer's race as Muslim and their religion as Islam. On the back is a note in Burmese stating that the cardholder does not have the right to claim Burmese citizenship.

A Muslim businessman from Maungdaw said, "The white ID card is not for Burmese citizens, so we need another ID card with citizen status. The Deputy Home Minister Phone Swe told us when he visited Maugndaw that ID cards in pink would be issued to Muslims in northern Arakan, but we have not received the cards yet."

The government has arranged to issue new ID cards to the Muslim community in Arakan State in an effort to get the support of Muslims for the government-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party in the election.

All Burmese, regardless of their current status, will get at least one officially recognized ID card this year before the election, but the authorities have been using the ID cards to garner support for the government-backed parties in the election.

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