59 RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS TO LIVELIHOODS “Taking the NVC was the only way I could feed my children.” —Rohingya fisher, 30, confined to an internment camp in central Rakhine State.197 Rakhine State is one of Myanmar’s poorest.198 Some 43 percent of residents of Rakhine State rely on a combination of fishing or aquaculture and agriculture as their source of income.199 Data on Rohingya participation in these markets is difficult to come by; however, one study found Rohingya made up less than 30 percent of fishers in two townships in Rakhine State.200 Rohingya told Fortify Rights they earn subsistence livelihoods through fishing, agricultural industries, and small businesses.201 Now, the authorities are using access to livelihoods as a coercive means to force Rohingya to accept NVCs. In 2017, the Myanmar government distributed pamphlets to Rohingya in northern Rakhine State, providing the following guidance: “If you want do fishing, apply for the NV card first,” and “[f]or social and economic activities, hold the NV card.”202 Various government officials have reiterated this message since 2017, most recently in pamphlets provided to refugees in Bangladesh by the Myanmar government in July 2019.203 The pamphlets stated that, “NVC holders in possession of the fishery license, just like holders of any other type of ID card recognized by Myanmar, will be allowed to go fishing.”204 In October 2017, the Fishery Ministry, Water Transport Ministry, and the Immigration Department also announced that “fishing licenses can be renewed only if you hold an NVC.”205 197 Fortify Rights interview with C.B., Sittwe Township, Rakhine State, Myanmar, January 14, 2018. See also, the July 2019 report by Burma Human Rights Network, that documents Rohingya accepting NVCs to fish. “Rohingya fishermen in particular report having been pressured to accept NVCs. Fishing provides essential income for many Rohingya and around Sittwe it is key to survival for many Rohingya,” see Burma Human Rights Network, National Verification Cards, p. 23. 198 The Republic of the Union of Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports, Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey 2015-16, March 2017, https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR324/FR324.pdf (accessed August 23, 2019). See also, for example, World Food Programme, Myanmar - Food Security Assessment in the Northern Part of Rakhine State, July 2017, https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000019264/download/?_ga=2.239002240.1266574955.15667219271087402828.1566721927 (accessed August 23, 2019). 199 Saw Eh Htoo, “Small Scale Fishermen in Rakhine State,” Journal of Burmese Scholarship, Volume 1, Iss. 1, August 2016, p. 10. 200 The two townships are Pauktaw and Myebon. Id. at pp. 14-15. 201 Fortify Rights interview with B.H., C.B., and C.C., Sittwe Township, Rakhine State, Myanmar, 2019. 202 Republic of the Union of Myanmar Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population Department, “National Verification Card Relevant Facts.” 203 For example, according to the Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, “On 5 March 2017, the Maungdaw District Fisheries Department issued a letter regarding a decision of the District Administration Office in Maungdaw that only NVC holders could go fishing, and fishermen would be examined at security checkpoints.” See, Human Rights Council, Report of the Detailed Findings of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, para. 1128. The Office of the President in 2018 reiterated the NVC requirement to engage in fishing and other economic activities, saying: “[T] hose who already possess the cards can use it as an official fishing license. Moreover, they can overcome the difficulties of procuring food, clothing and shelter by holding this card.” The Republic of the Union of Myanmar President’s Office, “Union Minister Inspects of Issuing NVCs in Sittway,” January 15, 2018, http://www.president-office.gov.mm/ en/?q=issues/rakhine-state-affairs/id-8341 (accessed August 23, 2019). See also, Republic of the Union of Myanmar Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population Department, “National Verification Card Relevant Facts.” 204 Republic of the Union of Myanmar Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population Department, “National Verification Card Relevant Facts.” 205 Republic of the Union of Myanmar Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries, and Rural Development, Ministry of Transport, and the Immigration Department, “Announcement about Fishing, Fishing Vessels, and Boats,” October 2017, unofficial translation, on file with Fortify Rights. According to an internal UNHCR report, Myanmar immigration officials reiterated this message during a meeting in December 2017 with 200 Rohingya representatives of two village tracts in Sittwe Township. UNHCR, Citizenship Verification Exercise in Rakhine State.