New Delhi (Mizzima) – As the junta’s electoral watchdog collects absentee votes, members of the party the regime is backing in national elections on Sunday are visiting homes in some Rangoon townships to coerce people to vote for them in advance, according to residents.

Meanwhile, in the eastern coastal town of Kawthaung, fishermen are being forced to vote for either the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) or the junta-supported National Unity Party (NUP), before they can head out to sea.

USDP members have been making door-to-door visits to homes in Insein and South Dagon townships in Rangoon since last week, coercing voters ahead of time and in breach of the junta’s own electoral laws, residents and rival party members told Mizzima.

“They came to our home and tried to force us to make a tick against their party logo on a ballot paper. They were disappointed and left our home when we refused to do so,” a local resident from Insein Township said to Mizzima.

The junta’s party, the Democratic Party (Myanmar), the 88-Generation Students and Youths (Union of Myanmar), the Democracy and Peace Party and the Peace and Diversity and Peace party will stand for the Amyothar Hluttaw (upper house) constituency in Insein.

A resident in South Dagon Township said: “The absentee votes were collected in our ward yesterday too. They told us to tick against the USDP party logo on the ballot papers. They forced us to do so but many people refused.”

Ye Tun, chairman of the 88 Generation Students and Youths Party (Union of Myanmar) chairman, said that his party members, voters and candidates also reported the forced collection of advance votes in these townships.

“No party has the authority to collect absentee votes. This is contrary to the law,” he added.

An ethnic Chin youth from Falam city in Chin State, studying at university in Rangoon and staying in Kyauktada Township, said the local election commission office had voted for the USDP on his behalf when he had visited to cast his vote in advance on Friday.

“They told me we weren’t allowed to cast our votes according to our own will in this absentee vote. The officials … replied that this instruction was given to them by a higher authority when I demanded to know why they wouldn’t let me cast the vote of my choice,” he said.

Moreover the ward-level election commissions and township fisheries department were forcing fishermen from Kawthaung Township in Tenasserim Division from last Wednesday to cast their votes in advance before they could leave port.

Usually, the fishermen could weigh anchor after signing on at the township fisheries office but now they had to cast their votes in advance at their respective ward election commissions and receive a recommendation letter before they could leave for the sea, they said.

“They have been using this forcible method since Wednesday. We are not allowed to go for fishing without casting our votes in advance,” a fishing boat owner from Kawthaung said.

A grocer near Kawthaung jetty said: “There are only two parties, the USDP and the National Unity Party (NUP) here. They can leave here only after voting for either one of them.”

Myint Tun from the USDP and Thaung Shein from the NUP will stand for the Pyithu Hluttaw (lower house) constituency and Hla Soe from the USDP and Nyunt Tin Aye from the NUP will stand for the Amyotha Hluttaw (upper house) constituency in Kawthaung Township.

Residents said the Fishery Supervision Committee guarding the boats at the mouth of the river, forced boats on which crew had failed to make absentee votes to return to port.

“My friend asked election commission officials if he could vote for neither of these candidates as he didn’t like these two parties but the officials replied that he must cast his vote for either one of them,” a resident of Shwepyithar Ward said.

Thousands of fishermen had to cast their votes even though they had no idea about of the parties or their policies, a resident said.

“Fishing is important for them. This is their living so that they had to cast their absentee votes,” a resident in Shwepyithar ward said.

A Kawthaung fisheries department deputy director refused to answer Mizzima’s questions when contacted, and told reporters to speak to fishing companies only on the matter.

Forced collection of absentee votes from voters without their consent was a clear violation of the election laws, lawyer Aung Thein said in Rangoon.

“The election law says only voters may cast their absentee votes if they wish and that they also have the right not to cast their votes. There are no provisions saying voters can go to sea only after casting their votes in advance. They [election commission officials] have no right to force voters to cast their votes if they do not want to do so,” he said.

Pyithu Hluttaw Election Law Chapter 1, section 2 (n) stipulates that voters have the right to vote and the right to abstain from voting.

Forcible collection of absentee votes was a breach of electoral laws. Voters could lodge their complaints with the township election commission, Aung Thein said.

“Their complaint can say that the authorities forced them to cast their votes in advance, though they do not like both parties and candidates, by restricting their movement,” he said.
The fishing season runs from October’s end after the full moon day during Thadingyut (the festival of lights) to the early monsoon season at the end of April. During this period, fishermen usually go out to sea every two weeks.

At the end of last month, the Union Election Commission reportedly instructed its offices at all levels to take absentee votes from voters as mentioned in section 45 of the Pyithu Hluttaw Election Law by Friday ahead of polling date on Sunday.