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Hundreds of people wait to be registered
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as immigration officials and security forces stand by
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Those born before 1982 are being checked
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to see if they are eligible for Burmese citizenship
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In a camp of 3000 people, 700 are being registered in this pilot programme
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But in order for a person to gain citizenship
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they must be able to prove that they or their parents lived in the country
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before independence in 1948
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If they have the documents to prove this, they're in with a chance of becoming a naturalized citizen
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Though most Rohingya people don't have the necessary papers
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Human rights groups have slammed the 1982 law,
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for effectively denying the Rohingyas citizenship and rendering them stateless
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They're not forcing us - they said it's okay if we don't want to take part
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and we can register at our own will
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In Maybaung, there are 3 choices of ethnic identification:
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Kahman, Bengali, or nothing at all
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- making the process awkward for those who identify as Rohingya
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What ethincity do most people here identify themselves as?
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Mostly Bengali
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Over 400 people have been registered so far
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Officials here will collect the personal data and send it to Naypyidaw
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where a central board will decide who will eligible for citizenship
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Critics of the law say the process is baised
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and set up to ensure Rohingya won't get citizenship
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But the camp residents que up anyway
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More out of desperation, than any real hope
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