Do native-born Burmese lose their citizenship by living abroad for 15 years, and is a person considered"stateless" if his/her citizenship is not recognized by Burma?
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BUR0765 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Do native-born Burmese lose their citizenship by living abroad for 15 years, and is a person considered"stateless" if his/her citizenship is not recognized by Burma?, 1 April 1989, BUR0765, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acef68.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the U.S Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989), p. 747, Burmese emigrants wishing to return to Burma permanently are required to reapply for Burmese citizenship. However, it is not clear whether a person who leaves Burma on a student visa would be considered an emigrant by Burmese authorities nor the status on return accorded to those who leave on student visas.
Attached is a copy of "A darkening scene", (Far Eastern Economic Review, 24 November 1988, pp. 40-41), referring to the treatment accorded to returning students and dissidents who fled the Burma last September, after a series of political incidents. Also attached is a copy of the abovementioned issue of Country Reports, as well as a copy of the articles of the Burmese Constitution regarding citizenship (from Constitutions of the Countries of the World: Burma; New York: Oceana Publications, Inc., 1982); the latter indicates that recognition of citizenship is regulated by law. A copy of the current law governing citizenship in Burma is not available to the IRBDC, Ottawa at the present time.
