Friday, 28 June 2013

SIM distribution system 'not fair'

SIM distribution system 'not fair'

By Win Ko Ko Latt   |   Tuesday, 30 April 2013

Migrant workers in Nay Pyi Taw say the distribution system the government is using for K1500 SIM cards is unfair.

About 350,000 CDMA 800MHz cards were distributed by state and region governments last week. Applicants must submit several documents, along with a copy of their National Registration Card and an official certificate of the members of their household, known as Form 66, to be considered for the SIM cards, which were mostly distributed through a lottery system.

But migrants say it is almost impossible for them to apply for the SIM cards because the documentation can only be acquired in their home towns.

"Our family is in Nay Pyi Taw, and we do not have our Form 66 here, so we can't apply for the K1500 SIM card," said Ma Thida, 26, who came from Meiktila to the capital to work as a labourer on a construction site in Zabbuthiri township.

Migrant workers like Ma Thida are calling on the government to change the application system when the next batch of 350,000 SIM cards is distributed in May.

Officials in Nay Pyi Taw agreed it was difficult for migrant workers to qualify for the SIM cards.

"We don't have any special directive for migrant workers so we accept application forms according to the directives given," said U Kyaw Tint from the Pyinmana Township General Administration Department.

"But for civil servants it is easy [to get a SIM card] regardless of where they come from," he said.

The lucky draw for Nay Pyi Taw's allocation of 50,000 SIM cards was conducted at ward administrative offices on April 27, and winners received their cards yesterday.

"More than 17,000 SIMs were reserved for civil servants and the rest were for the public," said U Aung Khin, secretary of Nay Pyi Taw Council.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/06/28/sim-distribution-system-not-fair/

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