5
We Were All Citizens
National Registration Cards
“Both of my parents have NRC cards. So do I. My parents were issued National Registration Cards in 1957. This is the evidence we are citizens of the country. Other ethnic groups held the same national identity cards. Even the Prime Minister, U Nu held the same NRC that we did.
“But they started to revoke and downgrade our citizenship step by step. They started confiscating these documents and NRCs and systematically we lost our ethnic and human rights in the country.”
Mohammed Ayub, Rohingya elder, 2019
Following the Residents of Burma Registration Act in 1949, the parliamentary government set in motion the registration of all foreigners and citizens in Burma. One of the primary reasons for initiating the registration was to curtail irregular immigration in the country, primarily along the western border with East Pakistan and along the border with China. The first National Registration Cards (NRC) were issued in the 1950s during a time often described as ‘the golden age’ of democratic Burma. Before NRC cards were issued, registration officials were instructed to scrutinize and verify the applications of all individuals. Those deemed foreigners received Foreign Registration Cards. Those who were deemed residents, including the Rohingya, received NRC cards. Possession of the NRC card was widely seen as an acknowledgement of Burmese citizenship. For more than 20 years after Burma’s independence, citizens throughout Burma, including the Rohingya, shared this one common form of identification. In the 1970s and 80s as Rohingya experienced more systematic discrimination and exclusion, discriminatory stamps were added by immigration officials. Eventually, the government confiscated Rohingya NRC cards. Yet, many Rohingya secretly held onto them. Today, Rohingya still possess the original cards issued to their parents and grandparents as proof of their belonging to the country.
“After the independence of Burma, foreign registration cards were issued to foreigners. NRC cards were issued to Burmese nationals. Regardless of being Muslim, Buddhist, Shan, Kachin, Karen, Burman or Rohingya, those who were verified as nationals were verified without discrimination. Ladies were issued pink cards. Men were issued green cards. The cards issued to Rohingya were the same as other ethnic groups. We were all citizens.”
Aman Ullah, Rohingya Elder, 2023
“During the time of my grandparents, there was no discrimination and because they were born in Burma, they were issued National Registration Cards. We received the original cards. Then ‘AK’ was added for those issued Akyab and ‘BTG’ was an ID code for those issued in Buthidaung, which means locals of Buthidaung. We were born in Burma and we should have nationality.”
Mohammed Taher, Rohingya elder (2018)
“If we didn't have all of these documents it would be very easy for them to make us into illegal immigrants. Because we have all of these documents which show we are indigenous people of Burma, they will be unsuccessful.”
Solim Ullah, Rohingya elder, 2023