The Burmese military junta has deleted almost 100,000 names of voters from the original draft voters list in Myitkyina Township, local sources said. The original draft voters list had 213,294 names. Now it is 113,950.

The latest voter count is the combined figure of 13 sub-townships in Myitkyina and now it is nearly half the original figure which was compiled by the junta-sponsored members of Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and handed over to the Minister Brig-Gen Thein Zaw, Ministry of Communication, Post and Telegraph of junta in March.

The latest  figure of 113, 950 voters were enrolled by the junta's Quarter Peace and Development Councils (QPDC or Ya-Ya-Ka) for the constitutional referendum tomorrow, said  local QPDC sources.

Of them, they selected 7,038 voters in Tatkone, 4,650 voters in Pangmati, 3,340 voters in Shwezet, 5,640 voters in Myothitgyi, 2,892 in Yan Gyi Aung, 4,229 voters in Du Kahtawng (Du Mare), 438 voters in Min Yat, 5,056 in Shatapru and the rest are from outside Myitkyina downtown, according to official figures pasted in those quarters.

According to sources close to administrators of QPDC in Myitkyina, the authorities are worried that they will get a lot of unwanted 'No' ballots rather than 'Yes' votes.  So they decided to delete a large number of voters names from the much higher original figures on the orders of the junta, the sources added.

In fact, there are over 8,000 eligible voters who are 18 years old only in Shatapru, whereas Tatkone has over 15,000 eligible voters, the residents told KNG.

This way, the junta has been dishonest and has deleted a huge number of names from the list of voters in Myitkyina Township, the locals added.  

In the countrywide referendum on the new constitution drafted by the junta, over 100 polling booths have been set up in Myitkyina Township. Voting will start at 6 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. local time.