12 March 2022
Photo: Rakhine Daily
DMG
Newsroom
12 March 2022, Ann
Police
have opened a case under immigration law against four Muslims detained at a
checkpoint in Arakan State’s Ann Township on Friday.
The
four said that they had paid a Sittwe-based agent to take them to Yangon, where
they planned to seek work or attempt to continue onward to Malaysia, according
to the township police.
The
two men and two women, all in their 20s, were hiding in the trunk of a
passenger bus heading to Yangon, said Police Captain Myo Kyi of the Ann
Township police station.
“They
said they were going to Yangon to find a job because they can find no job in
Arakan State. We have opened a case against them under Section 6 (2) and (3) of
the Immigration Act,” said Police Captain Myo Kyi.
If
convicted, the four face a maximum of four years in prison.
Muslims
illegally travelling to Yangon from Arakan State are often found at the
checkpoint in Ann, said Police Captain Myo Kyi.
Police
have also filed a complaint against the driver and conductor of the bus under
Section 367 of the Penal Code, which covers kidnapping and abduction
potentially leading to grievous harm and/or enslavement. If convicted, the duo
face up to 10 years in prison.
Most
Muslims in Arakan State are denied freedom of movement. Because of travel
restrictions imposed by successive governments, they cannot travel freely
within or outside of Arakan State.
One
Muslim said: “We can’t have livelihoods in Arakan State. But when we try to
find a job elsewhere, we are arrested. We are having difficulties either
way.”
Last
week, the junta-controlled Ministry of Immigration and Population introduced
new travel restrictions for all Myanmar citizens, making national
registration cards (NRCs) necessary for travel, and to stay anywhere other than
one’s own home.
Limited
job opportunities in Arakan State have led many locals to seek employment in
foreign countries.
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