In the wake of the 2012 violence, almost 140,000 people in Rakhine State remain displaced, 534 many of them in camps in extremely poor conditions, most of them Muslim. Muslims living in camps in Rakhine State are not able to travel in order to access employment or health care. Muslims who live in north-western Rakhine State also face longstanding restrictions on movement and cannot leave their townships without official permission, greatly impacting their livelihoods. 535 On 11 February 2015 the President revoked all temporary identity cards, known as White Cards, leaving many Muslims, including Rohingyas, but also some ethnic minorities, without a valid form of identity card, impacting on their ability to travel, obtain employment and vote. 536 In June former White Card holders did not appear on the voter lists and were thus disenfranchised and will be unable to participate in the November 2015 elections. 537 Some members of the Buddhist Sangha (clergy) in Myanmar lead the ‘969’ movement, which claims, amongst other things, that Muslims are trying to take over the country. The ‘969’ movement encourages Buddhists to boycott Muslim businesses, and has some popular support. 538 Of the two international telecoms companies granted licenses in Myanmar, Ooredoo is based in Qatar, a Muslim-majority country. After the awards were granted, some radical nationalist Buddhist monks called for a boycott of the company and a general boycott of all Muslim-owned shops and businesses in Myanmar. 539 This has impacted on the company’s ability to obtain tower sites in some areas. Moreover, building on widespread anti-Muslim sentiment, some Buddhist leaders called on the Government to enact legislation to “protect” Buddhism. There are three laws in Parliament restricting the following: religious conversion to non-Buddhist religions; interfaith marriage; population; and polygamy. The Population Control Healthcare Bill was passed by Parliament in April 2015. Parliament enacted the Buddhist Women’s Special Marriage Act in July 2015. This law requires Buddhist women (but not men) to seek permission from the authorities to marry a non-Buddhist man. 540 International human rights organisations have noted that the Population Control Healthcare Bill may be used selectively against certain ethnic and religious minorities as there is no non-coercion or discrimination clause in the bill.541 Other faiths People of other faiths also face discrimination and marginalisation. Christians comprise a small minority in the country, but most Chin and Kachin ethnic groups are Christian, with smaller numbers of Karen and Karenni Christians. Christians, like other members of minority religions, are generally not promoted to senior positions within the civil service or military. Ethnic minority Christians face restrictions on their religious freedom, including 534 USAID, “Burma - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #1, Fiscal Year (Fy) 2015” (6 Feb 2015). Brief Overview of the current human rights situation in Northern Arakan/Rakhine State, Myanmar, February – July 2014, Arakan Project, on file with IHRB. 536 The White Cards expired on 31 March 2015. International Crisis Group, “CrisisWatch No 139” (2 March 2015), pg 12. 537 Myanmar Times, “Former white card holders cut from Rakhine voter lists” (24 June 2015). 538 ICG, The Dark Side of Transition: Violence Against Muslims in Myanmar” (Oct 2013). 539 Nationalists call for Ooredoo boycott, Myanmar Times, 6 June 2014, 540 The Irrawaddy, “Union Parliament Passes ‘Interfaith Marriage Bill” (18 July 2015). 541 See Amnesty International and International Commission of Jurists, “Myanmar: scrap ‘race and religion laws’ that could fuel discrimination and violence” (3 March 2015); Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, Advance Unedited Edition, A/HRC/28/72, p 9-10, 9 March 2015; and “Burma’s Population Control Bill Threatens Maternal Health Program”, Physicians for Human Rights, 22 April 2015, Population Control Healthcare Bill. 535 CHAPTER 4.8: GROUPS AT RISK 225 4 4.8