A crowd of around 500 people launched a protest against the Rakhine State Chief Immigration Officer who was accused breaking the Citizenship Law in Sittwe.
The protesters marched around the town in Sittwe, Rakhine State.
U Win Lwin, chief immigration officer of Rakhine State Immigration Office, has been accused for abusing the existing 1982 Citizenship Law. Consequently, there was a protest made by Sittwe residents against U Win Lwin. Around 500 protesters demanded to take legal action on U Win Lwin, U Aung Than Wai who is Sittwe Township Party Secretary of the Arakan National Party told The Narinjara News.
The protest was led by the Arakan National Party’s Sittwe Township Branch. The protesters marched starting from Wingabar field along the main road and then go-around the town via Kon-tann street and Set-yon-su street.
“By reason of breaking of1982 Citizenship Law, the protest was launched in order to put on trial in line with judicial order,” said U Aung Than Wai, Sittwe Township Party Secretary of the ANP.
A Bingali woman named Mya Nanda Khin who is not Myanmar citizens from Bu-thee-taung township has been issued the national registration card No. 11/BaThaTa (Naing) 048157 on 3 February, 2016. As the issuance of the NRC to Mya Nanda Khin is illegal according to the section 19 of the 1982 Citizenship Law, a court case was made at the No. 1 Police Station in Sittwe, U Aung Than Wai told Narinjara.
So, U Aung Than Wai made lawsuit against U Win Lwin regarding the illegal issuance of the said NRC which was not in keeping with the existing law. However, the lawsuit has been delayed so far and the local residents decided to protest the hindrance of the judiciary procedure.
The protesters exposed their desires by shouting the following slogans: “To put on trial U Win Lwin who breaks the 1982 Citizenship Law is our demand”, “To put on trial the Rakhine state immigration officer U Win Lwin who breaks the Nationl Sovereignty is our demand”, “To put on trial the Rakhine state immigration officer U Win Lwin who betrays the Nation is our demand”.
Narinjara News cannot state the explanation of U Win Lwin, the Rakhine state immigration chief officer, due to communication difficulty.
Translated by Zin Linn
