New commission to rule on white card processing
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A government commission will be set up to process temporary citizenship cards, so-called white cards, according to Maung Maung Than, the director general of the National Registration Department.
He said that the yet-to-be-established committee will contain experts.
“Experts will be appointed to the commission. Then, the procedures will follow the commission’s instructions,” he said.
The Presidential Office’s Order No. 19/2015 includes registering, withdrawing the expired cards and scrutinising of the white cards. The order also demands the establishment of the expert commission.
President Thein Sein earlier announced that the white cards will expire on March 31, 2015 and the expired cards need to be withdrawn by May 31, 2015. Further processing has to be done by the Ministry of Immigration and Population in line with the instruction of the new commission.
There are over 590,000 white cards issued to Bengalis, Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese and Myanmar ethnic people living near borderline, according to the Immigration and Population Ministry. Many of the Muslim holders call themselves Rohingya.
Parliament’s approval that white card holders can vote in the referendum on charter amendments stirs dissent among Buddhist citizens.
Maung Maung Than said the ministry has opened offices nationwide in order to accept the expired white cards.
