Young people from Myanmar’s conflict zones face growing scrutiny in Yangon

Myanmar’s military regime has stepped up its efforts to keep track of young people from areas that it no longer controls, especially in Yangon, according to multiple sources. As conflict rages across much of the country, many have fled to the relative stability of Myanmar’s largest city. Once they have relocated, however, they still have to deal with pressure from junta authorities, sometimes even facing arrest if they happen to be holding ID cards from restive regions. Those targeted include residents of Magway Region and Chin, Shan, and Rakhine states, where the military has lost significant amounts of territory since seizing power nearly four years ago. Young people from Rakhine State—which is now largely under the control of the Arakan Army—are especially likely to be harassed, usually on the pretext of enforcement of overnight guest registration requirements, sources said. “They check IDs and make people remove their shirts to see if they have Rakhine markings on their bodies. If someone is arrested, it’s not easy for them to get released. They can pay their way out, but it costs a lot,” said a Yangon man in his 40s. In one incident that took place on December 31, at least 10 Rakhine youths were arrested at a housing compound in Yangon’s Thingangyun Township, according to Rakhine news outlet AK Media. Many similar cases have gone unreported. A Rakhine man in his 20s told Myanmar Now that he and his brother were both detained in November while returning home from work. He said they and another young man living in the same neighbourhood were taken into custody without explanation. “We told them we weren’t doing anything. They wouldn’t listen and told us to explain at the police station. While driving, they also arrested another guy who was sitting in front of his house,” said the man, who did not want his name or township of residence to be used for security reasons. At the police station, the men were told to call two people who could act as their guarantors. Then they appeared before a judge and were told to pay 150,000 kyat (around US$35) each. The man said that he and his brother were likely identified as ethnic Rakhines because of their accents. Ward administrators had also informed police of their presence, he added. Junta soldiers and police officers conduct overnight guest registration checks (Junta information office) Constant scrutiny The situation has become so bad that many Rakhine people living in Yangon have stopped going out at night, for fear of being arbitrarily arrested for no other reason than their ethnicity. One Rakhine woman in her 20s explained that the authorities can tell where people come simply by looking at their national ID numbers. Numbers that begin with “11” indicate that the card holder is from Rakhine State, she said. “Many people I know with an ID number beginning with 11 have been arrested. It makes the rest of us really worry. We have no freedom like others. They can travel and go out, but we can’t. We just stay home, afraid we might be next,” she said. The woman, who is from the Rakhine State capital Sittwe, came to Yangon to escape the fighting in her home state. Now, however, she feels that she is under constant scrutiny, and that the situation is only getting worse. From the end of January, she said, people like herself who live in boarding houses will have to verify their identities in person in order to receive approval under the regime’s draconian overnight guest registration rules, which were introduced soon after the February 2021 coup. “The woman who handles registration at my boarding house said that from the end of this month, they will only accept people after carefully checking them in person,” the woman said. Junta troops conduct inspections on a highway in 2022 (Photo: Supplied) Travel anxiety Travel is also more difficult for people from designated parts of the country. According to a woman who sells bus tickets, passengers whose IDs begin with 11 (Rakhine State), 8 (Magway Region), 4 (Chin State), or 13 (Shan State) must be prepared to show employment documents and references if they plan to travel. “There’s no instruction not to sell tickets to people from certain areas. If they have IDs, we’ll sell them the tickets. But if their IDs start with 11 or 8, for example, we warn them that they will be singled out during checks on the bus,” she explained. A young man from Magway said he experienced this treatment firsthand last November. The bus he was on had stopped at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Yangon when some soldiers ordered him to get off and answer some questions. “The troops ordered me to get out of the bus because of my ID. When I did, they told me to recite my ID number from memory. But I didn’t respond quickly enough, so they started yelling at me and questioning me in detail about my employment,” he said. This went on for half an hour before he was finally allowed to leave, he added. Another young man from Chin State also spoke of the extreme stress that he felt during his journey to Yangon with his parents. Coming from Mindat Township, which has recently been captured by resistance forces, he felt especially anxious as they passed through the many checkpoints along the way. The junta’s introduction of conscription early last year has added to his already intense concern, he told Myanmar Now. “When I came here from Mindat, I had to go through a lot of checkpoints. Now I need to travel to Naypyitaw, but I’m too scared to go because I’ve heard they’re detaining people to force them into military service,” he said.

Young people from Myanmar’s conflict zones face growing scrutiny in Yangon

Many who fled to the country’s largest city to escape war are now under intense pressure from the regime

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