Local residents in Muse, Northern Shan State, opposite China’s Yunan province continue to be pressurized, being instructed to vote for candidates of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) by the Chairman of the Muse Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC), contending that they are the right people as future leaders of the township, local sources said.

The candidates mentioned by the Chairman, U Myint Han are Sai Win Maung and Dr. Sai Yee Ann, both of the USDP. Sai Win Maung will be contesting for the upper house and Dr. Sai Yee Ann will contest for the lower house.

“He called on all local leaders from different departments and ethnic representatives to urge villagers to vote for USDP because its candidates are Shan nationalities, who are well versed about administration and are also intellectuals,” a meeting participant said.

“He said other parties members are inexperienced in administrative affairs and have little knowledge of management.”

The meeting was held at 19:30 on 30 October, the deadline for political parties to stop campaigning, at TPDC’s office. It lasted an hour.

Ethnic nationalities present at the meeting were from Shan Literary and Culture Association, Kachin Literary and Culture Association, Taang (Palaung) Literary and Culture Association and Lisu Literary and Culture Association.

Early in the month, one of the USDP candidates, U Kengmai, chief of the 200-strong Mongpaw militia unit and a candidate from Muse constituency No.2 had also ordered people to vote for the party warning that people who cast vote for other parties would be imprisoned.

There are only two main parties contesting in the township, the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) and USDP.