Junta tightens travel restrictions on Arakanese people in mainland Myanmar

By Admin 04 Feb 2026

DMG Newsroom

4 February 2026, Yangon

Myanmar’s military regime has tightened travel restrictions on holders of 11/National Registration Cards (NRCs) since late January, following a series of military setbacks against the Arakan Army (AA), according to sources.

The regime had previously imposed stricter inspections, movement restrictions and extortion targeting travelers from Arakan State, Shan State, and Sagaing and Magway regions in August 2024. These measures have now resurfaced with increased severity.

Due to the heightened restrictions, bus lines operating at highway terminals in Yangon, Mandalay and Ayeyarwady Region are reportedly selling tickets only to Arakanese passengers who can present valid NRCs along with recommendation letters issued by both police and ward administration offices.

“Since late January, the military regime has intensified inspections of passengers from Arakan and Shan states, and Sagaing and Magway regions. In some cases, entire buses are prevented from departing. If passengers holding Arakan State ID cards are found on board, drivers and conductors face threats and extortion,” said a bus line owner at Yangon’s Aung Mingalar Bus Terminal.

The measures have been widely condemned as violating freedom of movement, a fundamental right of citizenship, for Arakanese people living in mainland Myanmar.

“Bus line owners told us we can only buy tickets if we have both our NRC and a travel permit issued by the police. Some bus lines are even afraid to sell tickets to Arakanese ID holders, making travel extremely difficult,” said an Arakanese woman living in Yangon.

Following the outbreak of renewed fighting in Arakan State, many Arakanese residents have relocated to mainland Myanmar to escape airstrikes, heavy artillery attacks and worsening living conditions caused by restrictions on the flow of goods.

However, reports of arrests, extortion and intimidation of Arakanese ID holders at junta checkpoints along major travel routes have prompted warnings urging Arakanese people to avoid unnecessary travel.

“Whenever the military regime suffers battlefield losses against the Arakan Army, it vents its racial hostility by harassing and terrorizing Arakanese people. That is why Arakanese on the mainland need to be extremely cautious when traveling,” said an Arakanese man in Yangon.

The military regime recently lost the Koe Taung Boh camp, located between Kawlin and Kanbalu townships in Sagaing Region, to the Arakan Army and allied revolutionary forces on January 30.

In a separate development, the Arakan Army and its allies captured Point 666 hilltop camp—an outpost linked to the junta’s Weapons Factory No. 16—in Padaung Township on January 28.

Analysts say the regime’s discriminatory response to its battlefield losses is likely to further push young people toward armed resistance.