Thuta Linn — The Union Election Commission (UEC) has formally delayed a hearing to look into a complaint filled against the reelected Kachin State Upper House MP, U Zakung Ting Ying. The next hearing was officially delayed on Monday, ostensibly because the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) complaint was submitted incorrectly.
U Zakhung Ting Ying, who ran as an independent candidate, is also the leader of a ceasefire group called the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDAK). Prior to the election he sent a warning letter to his NLD opponents barring them from entering Kachin State Special Region No 1, an area ceded to the NDAK under the group’s 1989 ceasefire. The area has long been the personal fiefdom of Zakhung Ting Ying.
Kachin State parliament candidate, U San Wai Khaung Lwan, who ran in Sawlaw Township, submitted a complaint to the UEC. The complaint covered Zakhung Ting Ying’s barring of candidates from his area and attacks against the NLD candidates in the Chipwi area during their campaign.
“We were told that our title was wrong and they asked to re-submit it after changing it. The date was set for December 28th. We were not reporting to the Upper House or the State Parliament. We were reporting about the injustice of U Zakhun Ting Ying in line with the Election Law,” said U San Wai Khaung Lwan.
A UEC tribunal member, U Maung Maung Kyi, was quoted in local media indicating that the UEC has accepted the complaint and would question U Zakhung Tin Ying on December 21 and the reelected MP would also submit a letter of explanation.
Although he said the tribunal would hear the case on Monday it ended quickly and was officially postponed to December 28. The hearing ended on Monday after the NLD were instructed to resubmit the report with a new title.
U San Wai Khaung Lwan says he will continue with his complaint against U Zakhung Tin Ying.
The NLD’s candidate, U Kyaw Kyaw Oo, who ran against U Zakhung Ting Ying, has criticized the UEC for failing to resolve the complaint which included details of the mob attack on him and his fellow party members in the Chipwi area during the election campaign.
“I don’t expect the commission to solve this with a clear-cut answer, but we are following the procedure to record their injustice in history,” said U Kyaw Kyaw Oo.
Although the BNI Election Newsroom tried to contact the mobile phone of U Zakhung Ting Ying, the person who picked up the phone claimed it was not U Zakhung Ting Ying’s phone.
