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Enterprise Management
3.10 FORMS OF IDENTIFICATION
As had already been discussed in chapter-3, there were two kinds of forms (national IDcard and family registration card) which everyone in Myanmar should essentially have at
any point in their life. Most of the MEs covered in this study had their national ID-card
made either from the immigration office or in the project at the quarter office. Getting
national ID-card made under the project was less expensive and less time consuming than
going to immigration office. Thiri (potter, Naypyidaw) got her national ID-card made in
the project and paid only MMK 2000 ($2) for the form. It took her one day to finish all the
formalities and the card came in a week’s time.
Thein (broomstick maker, Nay Pyi Taw) got his national ID-card made at the free immigration project for which he had to go for four days consecutively. He had to fill the form
which originally cost MMK 6 ($0.006) but because that currency was not in circulation
anymore, he had to buy MMK 6 ($0.006) for MMK 1500 ($1.5). He also had to give his
photo, fingerprints, family registration and the recommendation letter from the quarter
leader for making the national ID-card as he belonged to some other quarter. Phyu (tailor,
Nay Pyi Taw) got her first national ID-card when she was 16 and updated it at the Immigration office when she was 20 years old.
Foreign Registration Card
One ME, Naing (journal seller, Mawlamyine) had Foreign Registration Card (FRC) and
not national ID-card since he was not originally from Myanmar. “It is just a sheet of paper.
As my parents are foreigners, they have to hold FRC card. When I was born, my name was
automatically registered in the card. Besides, list of names and number of children are all
registered in it. When I get married, the names of my wife and children will be automatically
added to it. It will also go further down in coming generations.” He also needed to report at
the Immigration office if he wanted to visit any other place in Myanmar and had to get a
visa for it. He could only go out of Mawlamyine for 14 days at a stretch. He needed to give
the full address of the place where he was going and had to inform the Quarter leaders of
both his quarter and the destination quarter. Every December he had to renew his FRC
and paid a tax of 3000 kyats ($3) per person, officially it was 50 kyats ($0.05) but the officials asked for 3000 kyats ($3). He paid this tax at quarter head office, every year by 30th
December he had to pay otherwise his family and he could be sued.