Myanmar junta to allow Myanmar-China border crossing with passport

Mizzima
The Myanmar junta is preparing to allow border crossings between Myanmar and China for citizens of both countries with passports.
Population and Immigration Minister of Myanmar Myint Kyaing said during a tour of the Kyel Gaung immigration checkpoint on the Chinese side that Myanmar will allow citizens from Myanmar and China to enter and exit with passports in the near future, according to a report in the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar on 25 September.
“Citizens of Myanmar and China will be able to enter and leave with passports, so they should pay special attention to security and coordinate with each other,” he said.
At present, Myanmar citizens are entering China with Border Pass-BP and Temporary Border Pass-TBP.
Myanmar’s military has sought the cooperation of China in implementing the eID system as the regime has scheduled for trial census next month, and the nationwide census in 2024, according to the report of the state-owned Global New Light newspaper on 20 September.
The plan was also discussed on 18 September between military’s Union Minister for Immigration and Population Myint Kyaing and the Chinese Deputy Minister of the National Immigration Agency (NIA).
China is a major ally and arms supplier of the Myanmar military regime, and is operating a sprawling nationwide surveillance network that collects huge amounts of data from its citizens.
The potential China-backed eID system could collect biographic data and the biometric data of citizens aged 10 years and above.
The junta has scheduled a trial census scheduled for next month, ahead of a nationwide count planned next year before it holds general elections expected in 2025.
However, critics has raised their concern that the junta’s census-taking plan is to step up the monitoring of its opponents.
More than 1.6 million people of Myanmar have been displaced by the armed conflicts in many areas since the coup, according to the United Nations.