Although a person per household was forced to attend the pro-military rally in Maubin, Ayeyarwady Division, only about ten people attended, residents said.

Residents said that ward administrators pressured them to attend the compulsory pro-military rally led by the Military Council.

 A resident of Ward No. 1 said, "The ward administrator, 100-house-group elder and 10-house-group elder appointed by the Military Council were organizing from house to house. They also threatened each house that they would be fined 3,000 kyats if they didn't come."

This forced gathering of people for the Military Council's pro-military rally held in Maubin, Ayeyarwady Region on February 2 at 1:00 p.m. Residents of Maubin said that only if a large number of people attended, it would be possible to show the crowd, so they gathered in the neighborhoods.”

A resident of Ward No. 8 said, "People don't care. They came out of the house only because they were forced to come. They did not reach the place where they were gathered. People disappeared on the street."

Although the Military Council tried to pressure the public to increase the number of people for the pro-military rally, some residents said that the number of people who came to the pro-military rally in Maubin City was only ten.

A resident said that the people holding signs and shouting slogans were not Maubin residents, they were Ma Ba Tha (Patriotic Association of Myanmar) who came from other towns and day laborers hired by the Union Solidarity and Development party.

This pro-military rally was held after the National Defense and Security Council extended the Military Council for another 6 months at the end of the 2-year emergency period.

A person close to the administration said that not only the residents of the city were pressured to attend the pro-military rally of the Military Council, but the members of the administration were also instructed to muster 10 people per area.

"Now, even if they pay a daily wage for the pro-military rally,  we are being forced to attend the rally because no one is coming," a person close to the administration said.

A pro-military rally in the town of Maubin was attended by more than 30 people carrying vinyls and marching for about 15 minutes, some residents said.

Also in Pathein, on the morning of February 2, a pro-military rally was held on Maha Bandula Road, Ward No. 3, with about 40 people.