Relatives of Myanmar civil servants restricted from travelling abroad

Myanmar’s military regime has stopped allowing the spouses and children of public employees to hold passports or leave the country, according to a junta order seen by Myanmar Now. The order states that close relatives of civil servants must obtain special permission to travel abroad for any reason, including for education and medical treatment. However, regime sources say the order, which has been in force since June, does not apply to the parents or siblings of public employees. The junta has previously implemented policies restricting foreign travel for civil servants and for armed forces personnel and their families, but this is the first time that the ban has been extended to include relatives of civilian personnel. To get permission to travel abroad, family members of civil servants must first obtain an endorsement from their respective departmental heads and junta-appointed union ministers, the order said. Their requests will then be reviewed by a special office overseen by junta chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing. While no reason was given for the decision to impose these restrictions, a departmental official in Naypyitaw said the purpose behind the order was clear. “Employees have always had to get departmental permission to travel abroad. Even directors and ministers have to get approval from above before they can leave,” he said. “Now that they’re restricting family members, too, it’s obvious that they want to increase their control.” Public officials in Myanmar have long been required to use special green passports when travelling abroad, in contrast to the red passports issued to most other citizens. These passports can only be held during the actual period of travel, and must be handed back to the relevant department upon return to the country. After the military coup on February 1, 2021, hundreds of thousands of Myanmar nationals fled the country. When the regime introduced conscription three years later, it triggered another mass exodus, especially among the young. Since then, the junta has imposed increasingly draconian measures to prevent citizens from leaving the country for any purpose. According to officials in Naypyitaw, a growing number of well-connected individuals with ties to the regime have failed to return to Myanmar after travelling abroad on tourist visas.

Relatives of Myanmar civil servants restricted from travelling abroad

The move is the latest by the regime to stem the exodus of citizens fleeing its rule

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