A special centre for rice and salt distribution for locals with commodities made available at discounted prices has been opened by the regime for nearly a week in Chibwe town in Kachin State, locals told KNG.
Local civilians and government servants can buy a sack of milled rice at 18,000 Kyat (US $ 16) and a package of salt for 250 Kyat. These are being sold at 50 per cent discount, according to residents of Chibwe.
There are over 10,000 people in Chibwe town and the people rely on government jobs and cultivation of paddy in the surrounding mountains, the residents added.
Unlike other urban areas in Kachin State, the regime has prepared ready-to-vote conditions for the constitutional referendum on May 10 in all villages in Chibwe as well as the controlled areas of the main Kachin ceasefire group, the Kahin Independence Organization (KIO) in the Triangle Areas opposite Chibwe which is divided by the N'mai River, villagers in the areas said.
According to KIO sources in the area, the KIO will be responsible for security of all the polling stations in its controlled areas of Nyawng Maw Pa and Washa Pa under Battalion (10) on the request of the junta.
A local NGO worker in Myitkyina Township, the capital of Kachin State who came back last weekend from those areas told KNG, "Most residents of Chibwe are government servants and they will cast the 'Yes' vote for the regime' new constitution."
"Most residents do not have any knowledge of the new constitution. The residents have less than ten radios per hundred people", the Ngo worker added.
On the other hand, the Burmese military junta has assigned the KIO to monitor the polling booths in Nyawng Maw Pa and Wa Sha Pa which are KIO battalion (10) controlled areas.
Meanwhile, voting stations are being set up in the villages in KIO and another Kachin ceasefire group, New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K) controlled areas east of Kachin State outside Chibwe, the locals said.
The KIO and NDA-K have allowed setting up polling stations and collection of voters' list in their controlled areas. However both groups have not suggested to the people whether to cast 'Yes' or 'No' votes in the referendum, according to insiders.
