Rajah & Tann Regional Round-Up
your snapshot of key legal developments in Asia
Issue 1 - Jan/Feb/Mar 2021
 

Amendments to the Ward and Village Tract Administration Law and the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens

Pursuant to the State Administration Council ("SAC") Law Number 03/2021, some provisions of the Ward and Village Tract Administration Law were amended. The amended provisions require all residents to inform their township or ward administrators if they have overnight guests from other wards or townships, and if there are people in their residence who are not listed in the household documents. They also need to inform their township or ward administrators when such guests depart from the ward or township. This had long been practiced under the previous military administrations, which was only recently abolished under the NLD-led government.


Furthermore, SAC has enacted Law Number 04/2021, which effectively suspended Sections 5, 7, and 8 of the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens ("Privacy Law"). These provisions of the Privacy Law are set out below.


Section 5 – The relevant authorities shall (i) ensure that there is no damage to the privacy and security of citizens except when being done so in accordance with the law, and (ii) only enter a person’s residence or premises, accompanied by a minimum of two witnesses comprising ward or village administrators, for the purposes of search, seizure, or arrest.


Section 7 – No one shall be detained for more than 24 hours without permission from court.


Section 8 – In the absence of an order, permission, or warrant issued in accordance with the existing law, or permission from the Union President or the Union Cabinet, a responsible authority shall not do the following:


  1. enter a person's residence or premises for the purposes of search, seizure, or arrest;
  2. surveil, spy upon, or investigate in any way which could disturb their privacy and security or affect their dignity;
  3. intercept or disturb any citizen's communications;
  4. demand or obtain telephonic and electronic communication data from telecommunication operators;
  5. open, search, seize, or destroy another person's correspondence, envelope, package, or parcel;
  6. unlawfully interfere with a citizen's personal or family matters or act in any way to slander or harm their reputation; and
  7. unlawfully seize the lawfully owned movable or immovable property of a citizen, or intentionally destroy either by direct or indirect means.

The suspension of the above-mentioned provisions has given the authorities broad powers to act in a way which breaches the privacy and security of citizens. Due to the suspension of Section 5, the presence of two witnesses is no longer required when authorities enter a person's premises. The suspension of Section 7 has given the authorities the right to detain persons indefinitely without cause. Lastly, the suspension of Section 8 allows the authorities to act freely to interfere with the private life of a citizen, such as arresting without warrants, intercepting communications, or seizing and destroying a person’s private property.




Please note that whilst the information in this Update is correct to the best of our knowledge and belief at the time of writing, it is only intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter and should not be treated as a substitute for specific professional advice.

 

Rajah & Tann
Myanmar Company Limited
Junction City Tower,
No.3A Bogyoke Aung San Road,
Level 13, Unit 13-04, Pabedan Township,
Yangon, Myanmar
http://mm.rajahtannasia.com


Contacts:

Dr Min Thein
Managing Partner
D +951 9345343
F +951 9345348
min.thein@rajahtann.com

Chester Toh
Director
D +65 62320220
chester.toh@rajahtann.com

Jainil Bhandari
Director
D +65 62320601
jainil.bhandari@rajahtann.com

Rajah & Tann Asia is a network of legal practices based in Asia.

Member firms are independently constituted and regulated in accordance with relevant local legal requirements. Services provided by a member firm are governed by the terms of engagement between the member firm and the client.

This update is solely intended to provide general information and does not provide any advice or create any relationship, whether legally binding or otherwise. Rajah & Tann Asia and its member firms do not accept, and fully disclaim, responsibility for any loss or damage which may result from accessing or relying on this update.