03/15/2019 Myanmar (International Christian Concern) – According to Myanmar’s Union Minister Thein Swe of Labors, Immigration and Population, Kachin State currently has more than 40,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in 89 IDP camps.
Eleven Myanmar reports that the minister gave a report of the current situation in Kachin state in response to MP Lama Naw Aung of Injangyang’s questions – the IDPs living in camps have difficulties obtaining national registration cards (NRC) and family households registration? How will the ministry deal with the issue?
“A total of 41,009 IDPs from 8,131 family households are taking shelter at 89 IDP camps in the state. The ministry issued the NRC to them and 29,351 IDPs of them have received them as of February 7. There are four wards, 17 village tracts and 62 villages within Injangyang township and Myitkyina district. A total of 8,006 people from 1,659 family households are living there,” said the minister.
The ministry is issuing family household certificates and NRCs for IDPs who have family household certificates in their native land, in line with rules and regulations. For those who do not possess family household certificates in their native land, the ministry will issue temporary family household certificates, he explained.
Since 2011, the ongoing fighting between the Burmese Army (tatmadaw) and the Kachin Independence Army has displaced more than 100,000 in Kachin state from the predominantly Christian Kachin ethnic group. Despite a temporary ceasefire agreement issued unilaterally by tatmadaw last December, the future of these Kachin IDPs still remains uncertain.
For interviews with Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org
