Resource information
SUMMARY:
"Since President
Thein
Sein
came
to
power
in
2011,
political
and
economic
reforms
in
Myanmar
have
led
to
greater
freedoms
and
unprecedented
optimism
for
the
country’s
future.
However,
in
communities
throughout
Myanmar,
authorities
continue
to
apply
repressive
laws
and
employ
practices
common
under
previous
military
regimes.
The
Ward or Village Tract Administration Law
requires
all
residents
of
Myanmar—urban
and
rural,
Burman
Buddhists
and
minorities,
rich
and
poor—to
report
the
identity
of
overnight
houseguests
to
government
officials
serving
as
ward
or
village
tract
administrators.
In
effect,
residents
need
permission
from
the
state
to
host
overnight
guests—and
authorities
are
known
to
deny
guest
registration
for
a
variety
of
reasons.
Myanmar
authorities
ensure
compliance
with
the
guest
registration
requirement
by
conducting
periodic
household
inspections.
The
Ward or Village Tract Administration Law
empowers
officials
to
inspect
“the
places
needed
to
examine
for
prevalence
of
law
and
order
and
upholding
the
discipline
[sic]
,”
effectively
giving
them
unfettered
authority
to
enter
private
residences.
Under
the
authority
granted
by
this
provision,
ward
or
village
tract
administrators
typically
carry
out
household
inspections
late
at
night
with
police
or
intelligence
officers
and
others,
ostensibly
to
determine
if
unregistered
guests
are
present.
Given
the
timing
of
these
intrusions,
many
residents
refer
to
the
practice
as
“midnight
inspections”.
Additionally,
individuals
who
lack
adequate
documentation
or
citizenship
status
in
Myanmar
face
challenges
hosting
or
staying
as
overnight
guests.
For
example,
individuals
who
are
unable
to
obtain
household
registration
documents
are
typically
required
to
regularly
report
themselves
to
the
state
as
guests
in
their
own
homes,
often
on
a
weekly
basis.
The
provisions
of
the
Ward or Village Tract Administration Law
related
to
the
guest
registration
requirement
and
its
enforcement
impinge
on
various
human
rights,
including
the
right
to
privacy
and
rights
to
freedom
of
movement,
residency,
and
association.
The
guest
registration
requirement
represents
a
systematic
and
nationwide
breach
of
privacy,
giving
the
government
access
to
troves
of
personal
data
from
communities
across
the
country.
Evidence
collected
by
Fortify
Rights
also
suggests
that
the
law
is
particularly
enforced
against
low-income
communities,
individuals
working
with
civil
society
organizations,
and
political
activists...
