The Department of Immigration and Population issued National Registration Cards (NRCs) to 1,578 people under the Pan Khin project at U Ottama Hall in the Arakan State capital Sittwe on Friday, according to the state’s military council.

U Hla Thein, a spokesman for the Arakan State Administration Council, said that although people have to pay for passport photos and undergo blood tests at their own expense, they are issued the NRCs free of charge under the Pan Khin project.

“The Department of Immigration and Population office issued the National Registration Cards to only Arakanese people in Sittwe Township. The Immigration and Population office issued the NRCs to people so that they can cast a vote in the upcoming election. Only with the National Registration Cards can people vote in the election,” the Arakan State government spokesperson explained.

Immigration employees along with healthcare workers and other civil servants made field trips to villages and wards to issue NRCs to people, he added.

The Ministry of Immigration and Population has been issuing NRCs to people across the country under the Pan Khin project in accordance with four criteria, said U Ye Tun Oo, deputy director-general of the National Registration and Citizenship Department.

The Ministry of Immigration and Population issued 8.4 million NRCs to people from 2011 to 2015 under the Moe Pwint project and 6.2 million NRCs from 2016 to 2020 under the Thitsar project. The ministry has so far issued NRCs to 3.4 million people under its Pan Khin project.

On November 10, Immigration and Population Minister U Khin Yi told the media in Naypyidaw that citizens should not be allowed to vote in the next election if they do not have a valid citizenship card.

DMG has not yet been able to contact the Arakan State Immigration and Population office to find out how many NRCs have been issued to people in the state over the course of the Pan Khin project to date.