NVC Holders Harassed, Applicants Rejected, Deniers Tortured

Maungdaw, ARAKAN: Though Myanmar government summarizes, of course deceitfully, solution of the Arakanese Rohingya problem in Rohingya’s acceptance of NVC, behind the practices of NVC lies government’s evil intention where it seems to be more violation card than verification card, as the NVC holders are harassed more, applicants rejected and deniers tortured in northern Arakan state.

RVision has managed to contact several NVC victims including holders, applicants and deniers, and everybody has different stories of sufferings related to this genocide card.

One of the holders told, on condition of anonymity, to RVision that though they hold NVC cards, the local authorities harass them, extort money for no reason, snatch pockets, restrict their movement even for livelihood, take away their vehicles, mobiles and cattle, rob shops, assault physically and sexually, demand ransom, discriminate against them in schools and offices, etc.

The most dangerous is movement restriction. With this card they are not allowed to go to other cities, let alone go out of the state. Even in their localities, they are not freely able to go for cutting wood, fishing, and farming their lands, which they rely on for their daily survival.

On the other hand, if they apply to upgrade their status to either of the citizenship categories, their applications are simply rejected, not processed or not accepted at all.

Lacking NVC is also considered crime, and non-holders of this card are tortured, arrested and forced to apply. But when they go to apply, they have to go through a long and complicated procedure, where they have to bribe in every phase of the process. The victim whom RVision contacted said, “I had to bribe 10 lakh to get this card (NVC). Otherwise I can’t go out of my home. I can’t open my shop.”

In another cases, the Rohingyas who qualified and got citizenship card (pink or Naing card in local expression) according to 1982 citizenship law, their biological children are also forced to hold NVC card, which is not in accordance with that law. According to a victim from Buthidaung, no pink card is issued after the first batch of the issuance, because of the objection from some anti-Rohingya Rakhines.

He said, “We both (husband and wife) are granted citizenship cards after we proved our existence for three successive generations and documents of our parents and grandparents were verified. But my immediate children are given NVC.”

 “Here in Rakhine, whether you hold NVC or Naing Card (citizenship card), the identity that guarantees one’s safety is his/her Buddhist face and faith” he added.

NVC is just a trap to kill or trick to delay. Either you hold, apply for or lack the NVC, you are not safe. It clearly proves that Myanmar is not sincere even in the issue of NVC, which is considered TOOLS OF GENOCIDE by experts.