Referendum Update

April 17, 2008

From the 12^th of April until now, the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) Number 31, based in Kaw–Zar village, together with local military forces have issued orders to village headmen from Kaw-Zar and surrounding villages to visit all eligible villagers and insist they vote ‘Yes’ in the upcoming May referendum.

Led by the battalion commander of Kaw-Zar together with the Chairman of Ye Township Peace and Development Council all villagers were made to provide a copy of their Identity Card and a sample signature.

A local teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “In my view, that is a kind of SPDC threat. We have to photocopy our ID card and sign it. It means they could use the signed copy to prove that we voted ‘Yes’ even if we voted ‘No’ in the real referendum. By doing so, they force us to vote a certain way and I think it is a direct threat to our basic rights.” All school teachers and government staff in Ye and Kaw-Zar were instructed by their department seniors to vote ‘Yes’ in support of the draft constitution in the May 10^th referendum.

U Hla Myo (not their real name) from Kaw-Zar said, “The motives behind the actions of the Burmese government have become more obvious since the September uprising when so many monks were killed. We can’t support this government at all. However, we can do nothing if they force us to vote ‘Yes’. It is not a democratic vote; if it were truly anonymous we would definitely vote ‘No’.”

After closely observing the situation in Ye, an anonymous villager phoned HURFOM and explained, “Most civilians are not educated at all about the referendum; about what it means and about how it should be carried out. The government knows this, and therefore knows they can force people to vote however they want them to. It is essential that a group of independent observers are present from now until the referendum in May to monitor proceedings closely.”

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News