On the day of the national referendum, May 10, a polling station in a Southern Ye Township village was coerced by heavily armed military personnel, and a villager Nai Show was arrested. According to local sources, it is not known why he was arrested, although authorities stated he was a suspected guerilla fighter involved in the explosion outside the village during the polls.
One villager who wished to remain anonymous told Kaowao, "Nai Show was in the referendum's voting centre with the rest of us when we heard a loud 'boom' from outside of the village. When officials came in they arrested Nai Show, but not before forcing him to the ground and beating him from head to toe. We were all shouting for them to stop beating him, telling him Nai Show was with us when the explosion occurred. But they didn't listen, but just kept on beating him and eventually took him away."
Even the head of the Yin Dein village apologized to authorities on Nai Show's behalf, stating that he was not involved in the explosion and was just an ordinary villager. But the authorities ignored all pleas and dragged Nai Show away. As of late yesterday he remained custody.
Meanwhile also on the May 10 at approximately 11 p.m. in neighbouring Kaw Hlaing Village, armed soldiers led by Warrant Officer Myint Than from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) Number 31 entered the polling station situated at the Basic Education Middle School. Many villagers reported Myint Than had been drinking heavily and appeared inebriated as he waved his firearm around.
The manager of voting commission personnel present at the polling booth requested Myint Than to remove his soldiers promptly, as his staff and voters felt threatened. One villager wanting to anonymous told Kaowao, "The manager was then severely beaten up in front of his staff and voters, with soldiers using gun butts to his head and back. It is still not known if he is able to walk." The manager was held in high regard by the villagers, who saw him as a good leader determined to stand up for their rights
It is believed that Myint Than and his soldiers entered the polling booth with an intent to destroy the contents, as a high 'No' vote had reportedly been recorded.
In the week prior to the referendum villagers in this area were threatened by authorities of the LIB 31 along with head villagers who supported the constitution. They told villagers if they voted 'No' they would face three years in prison and/or a two million Kyat fine.
A villager from Taung Bon village told Kaowao that their head villager, Nai Myoe Aung, withdrew his assistance to villagers, based on the order he had received. "He told us that if we wanted to vote 'No' we could but that we must do so with the knowledge that if we vote 'No' he would not help us when the head authorities came to interrogate us or lock us away. He said he had orders from the higher authorities and if we didn't follow them we would be on our own."
Villagers told our reporters that although they wanted to vote 'No' they were afraid to, and felt forced to vote 'Yes' once they had seen the registration form which included space for their name, address and ID number. Older villagers disagreed however, welcoming the chance to have their say regardless of the consequences. These villagers were determined to vote 'No'.
