MYANMAR – There are instructions from the terrorist junta council to check and prevent people from working abroad with PV passports, and some people who have personally encountered extortion at Yangon International Airport said that young people are being extorted.
Young people who have stayed in foreign countries for a few months with a PV passport (passport for tourism) and returned to Yangon were asked by the immigration at the entry point of Yangon airport. They asked many questions such as why they were abroad for so long and what they were doing there. It has been reported that some young people were extorted at least 50,000 to upwards of hundreds of thousands in Kyats, demanded as tip money.
“It’s been a little strict both entering and leaving the country. If anyone comes back to Yangon, they are asked what they were doing abroad, why they were doing it for months, if they are working, what they have in their luggage. Then they are straight up asked to pay tea money (bribes). They (the immigration officers) are openly asking (bribes) like that. They target the young,” said a witness.
In addition, those who have left Yangon Airport to foreign countries with a passport to work overseas (PJ) and try to leave again with a new passport (PV) were asked to show previous documents including tax receipts and tax clearance. Those who can’t show the documents are not allowed to leave the country and were extorted.
“The problem now is that people who have left with PJ before and then try to go out again with PV are in trouble. If they aren’t able to show all the tax papers and previous documents, they won’t let that person leave. Some of them are extorted. They can’t go abroad, and money is extorted,” said a manager of an overseas travel service agency.
In addition, the junta council has also ordered to scrutinize men between the ages of 22 and 31 who are restricted from working overseas travelling to foreign countries with PV passports at Yangon Airport. However, at the airport, junta council staff are mainly checking to make sure that there are no young people or CDM staff that they suspect are among those who are leaving abroad with PV.
