A/HRC/39/CRP.2 increased restrictions.1078 Despite this, the number of Rohingya applying for ICNVs was very low.1079 485. The “citizen verification process” restarted in 2016 under the NLD government, with a new attempt to persuade the Rohingya to accept the rebranded National Verification Cards (NVCs).1080 However, scepticism following past experience and a limited understanding of the new process remained. Following the post-9 October 2016 “clearance operations”, reports increasingly surfaced of attempts to coerce individuals into accepting the NVCs. 1081 By January 2017, just over 6,000 NVCs had been issued in Rakhine State, compared with nearly 400,000 white cards which were surrendered.1082 On 8 February 2017, the Government appointed a Steering Committee in charge of issuing NVCs to expedite the process. 486. In August 2017, the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State observed that the sporadic implementation process and lack of communication, consultation and outreach from the Government had undermined public trust. It made a number of recommendations including ensuring those who had received citizenship would immediately enjoy the associated benefits, and a simplified verification process. It also urged the Government to ensure that the process was voluntary. 1083 In direct contradiction to this recommendation, from October 2017, the approach of requesting NVCs to be able to fish was extended to central Rakhine.1084 The continued coercion on the Rohingya to accept the NVCs, and the build-up of pressure and tension in this regard in the lead-up to the August 2017 violence in northern Rakhine State, is discussed below. 1085 487. The rights granted by the NVC remain unclear. Despite the State Counsellor’s Office stating that card holders could travel anywhere in the country, specific additional provisions were included for Rakhine State.1086 These provisions meant that, in practice, movement for the Rohingya is still severely limited. 1087 The Minister of Social Welfare, Resettlement and Relief indicated that movement restrictions may be relaxed.1088 However, the Minister for Labour, Immigration and Population indicated in April 2018 that travel for NVC holders in Rakhine State would remain limited to travel within their townships, reportedly stating, “the information that NVC holders are entitled to travel to any place in the country is not true at all. We can’t allow that to happen. I want to stress that the rights, entitlements and restrictions stipulated at the time of issuing NVCs remain unchanged.” 1089 488. Following decades of arbitrary treatment and legal uncertainty about their legal status and documentation, it is unsurprising that the Rohingya do not trust the Myanmar authorities and remain sceptical about the “citizenship verification process”. In their view, these efforts 1078 1079 1080 1081 1082 1083 1084 1085 1086 1087 1088 1089 Ibid. V-047. The requirement to state ethnicity on the application form and the two year validity period were removed. See: Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, Final Report, Towards a peaceful, fair and prosperous future for the people of Rakhine (August 2017). K-063.5, V-047. See also chapter V, section D.2: A foreseeable and planned catastrophe. The process was not only applicable in Rakhine, but also in other areas of the country. As of January 2017, over 16,000 NVCs had been issued in Shan State and 3,500 in Kayin. In both states, more than a quarter of the population do not have identity documents. See: Notification of the State Counsellor Office, “What is the ICNV” (27 December 2016); 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census. Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, Final Report, Towards a peaceful, fair and prosperous future for the people of Rakhine (August 2017), pp. 26-28. K-063.36 See chapter V, section D.2: A foreseeable and planned catastrophe. Notification of the State Counsellor Office, “What is the ICNV” (27 December 2016). See this chapter, section B.2.b: Requirement for a temporary travel permit to travel between townships. Video available at: https://www.facebook.com/theirrawaddyburmese/videos/2008808825829926/ (accessed August 2018). See also Joshua Lipes, “Myanmar Lifts Travel Restrictions on Rohingyas With ‘Verification Cards’” (Radio Free Asia, 19 April 2018). Video available at: https://www.facebook.com/standardtimedaily/videos/1451972574914692/ (accessed August 2018). See also the video at: https://www.facebook.com/NewsWatchJournal/videos/1669688809735580/ (accessed August 2018). 117