Mizzima: More than 10,000 people want to participate in the citizenship verification process by agreeing to be listed as “Bengali,”according to U Khin Soe, the official in charge of the Rakhine State Immigration and Population Department.
Currently the citizenship verification process in Rakhine State based on the 1982 Citizenship Law is suspended due to objections.
Disagreement occurred over the verification process because some people identifying themselves as “Rohingya” are not allowed by law to be listed as such but must accept the designation, “Bengali.”
On the other hand, there have been complaints from ethnic Rakhine people against the verification process, claiming it will allow illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh currently in the State to be accepted as citizens.
Against this backdrop, the Rakhine State Immigration and Population Department has prepared to resume the citizenship verification process.
The people who want to apply for citizenship, by agreeing to be listed as “Bengali,” are from Ponna Kyun, Kyauk Phyu, Mrauk-U and Minbya Townships, according to figures compiled by the immigration department.
U Khin Soe said on December 30 that his staff members are ready.
“When the Union government [central government] orders us to resume the process, we will resume it. But we will carry out the citizenship verification process only if the people who want to apply for citizenship agree to be identified as Bengali,” he said.
The citizenship verification process for people who identify themselves as Rohingya but the government refers to as Bengali began in June, 2014, but was suspended after five months due to various objections. The Rakhine State Immigration and Population Department hopes to resume the process in January.
According to U Khin Soe, the people identifying themselves as Rohingya in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships have not applied for citizenship because they are still pondering whether they should agree to be listed as Bengali or not.
U Hla Thein, a Rohingya leader in Maungdaw Township, said, “We are still negotiating whether the label [for the race] or applying for citizenship should be given a higher priority.”
During the citizenship verification process in Rakhine State in 2014, 40 people were granted citizenship and 165 people became naturalized citizens, according to figures compiled by the Rakhine State immigration department.
Rakhine State has population of more than 3 million. Among them, more than 1 million people do not have the right to citizenship, according an estimate by the Rakhine State government.
Communal rights broke out in the State in 2012 between Buddhists and Rohingya left up to 140 people dead. Today, tens of thousands of internally displaced people remain in camps.
http://mizzima.com/mizzima-news/myanmar/item/16424-10-000-people-in-rakhine-state-willing-to-be-listed-as-bengali