About 50 junta soldiers and police have been carrying random raids on houses and businesses under the pretext of checking overnight guest registrations in Myitkyina City, the Kachin State capital.
Every household in Myitkyina City and all other junta-controlled areas of Myanmar, is required to report any overnight guests staying with the household to the junta-appointed administration offices, even if they are only staying for one night. The junta often carries out inspections of households, known as overnight guest checks, to check that all guests have been properly registered.
In Myitkyina City, rather than carrying out systematic house to house overnight guest checks, the junta soldiers and police are instead mainly targeting houses and shops on main roads, selecting which ones to inspect at random.
A Myitkyina City resident who suffered such a nighttime inspection said to KNG: “About 50 soldiers and police officers came to my house, saying they were there for overnight guest checks. They didn’t visit every house nearby. From what I observed, they were randomly entering some houses along the main roads for inspections. As a result of these checks, anyone not listed as a member of a household must now report to the authorities in advance if they plan to stay the night at someone’s home.”
Junta soldiers have warned Myitkyina City residents that those who do not properly register their guests in advance could face up to three months in prison and a fine of up to 10,000 MMK.
During the Myitkyina City raids some guests were arrested for not registering whilst others had to bribe police and soldiers to avoid imprisonment. Those with firsthand experience of what happens when the junta finds unregistered guests have warned that ensuring guests are correctly registered is far easier than dealing with the consequences of not registering guests, should you get caught.
A woman from Myitkyina City said: “It would be better to report overnight guests to the authorities in advance, as this can help prevent potential problems. Failing to do so may result in a difficult situation and the risk of arrest.”
Overnight guest registrations are valid for one month, but if guests stay more than one month the registration must be renewed, according to the regulations. Failing to renew a registration in time, even if the deadline is only missed by a day, typically results in a 10,000 MMK fine.
Since the coup, across Myanmar, the junta has increased the number of nighttime raids it carries out using the excuse of checking overnight guest lists.
The law requiring overnight guests to register with authorities dates back to the British colonial era and is over 100 years old. In 2012, President U Thein Sein’s administration relaxed the law, retaining only Section 13(G), which allowed authorities to conduct overnight guest checks if necessary. However, the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government later repealed the law entirely, but the junta reinstated it in 2021 following the coup.
