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