Village headmen from a township in Shan State East, complained that they are tired of the junta’s political parties campaigning process because they are not ‘canvassing’ for votes, just ‘forcing’ people to get votes, according to sources from the Thai-Burma border.
Village headmen in Mongyang Township, 102 km northeast of Shan State East’s capital Kengtung, are reported to have been forced by the local regime backed organizations: the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and Pyithu Swarn Arr Shin (People Power Owner) to recruit members for both organizations, said a local resident in Mongyang.
Village headmen and elders expressed disappointment. Each quarter was ordered to provide at least 10 members for the Swarn Arr Shin and 20 members for the USDA, he said.
Mongyang has 11 quarters and about 550 households.
The Swarn Arr Shin campaign was conducted by the local police force, starting 25 May. The group said all people must work together with the group to solve the problems of the country such as environmental issues and join hands in the fight against the armed groups that are trying to destroy the country, a source said.
“You all must work with us to solve the problems and help develop the country,” the source quoted one of the police officers as saying. “The armed groups are not good. We have tried to reason with them only to be rejected. Therefore we have to join hands to get rid of them.”
A village headman was quoted responding to the officer as, “We would be happy to join you if the government takes responsibility for our families and relatives. We had assisted you several times in the past. But up to this day, we have not received any support from you. How can you make us believe?”
The USDA was led by local EC members, U Soe Way (50), ethnic Lahu in Kengtung; Sai Mon (50); Zaw Win Htut, a doctor and Sai Hsang Hsarm (50) a businessman, said the group.
“They came to take villagers’ photographs, names and their bio-data,” he said. “Some villagers did not know how their names were in the lists.”
According to local sources, there is only the USDP canvassing for votes in the area and no other parties.
Swarn Arr Shin is the group that had tried to kill National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in 2003, in the attack known as the Depayin massacre, where 70 pro-Suu Kyi supporters were killed and Daw Aung San Suuk Kyi was also put under house arrest since.
