Director of the Mon State Immigration and Population Department (Photo: MNA/Mon Htaw)

“After we compiled the list of migrant families from the township [immigration] offices, we counted over 9,000 families. But out of those, the number of families that really want to remain is 240,” said U Shein Win, Director the Mon State Immigration and Population Department.

As part of the Mon State government’s 100-day plan, the Immigration and Population Department announced that it would gather and catalogue the state’s migrant population figures, checking families’ household registration backgrounds and issuing them suitable identification cards when approved.

Director U Shein Win said that migrant families coming from other parts of the country must meet two criteria to be issued household registration documents by his department: state residency for longer than six months and possession of the household list from their place of origin. Without proof of registration in the hometown, the department would only grant temporary household documents, he said.

According to the director, families must remove their names from the household registration lists in their former residences before being eligible for permanent resident status in Mon State.

Some native residents of Mon State, however, expressed concerns about the household registration checks.

“It appears to be some type of monitoring situation regarding this household document list. We want ethnic people to inform the Hluttaw if [the department] is not conducting [the checks] systematically,” said Dr. Aung Naing Oo, deputy speaker of the Mon State Hluttaw.

The deputy speaker said that residents’ complaints have revolved around concerns that migrant families could be granted household registration documents without reliable evidence of where they are from or how long they will stay. Issuing household documents to newcomers who want to live in the state long term would not be a problem, he said.