Burma Campaign UK has received reports of violent intimidation, beatings and arrest of supporters of the National Democratic Party for Development (NDPD), an ethnic Rohingya party. These reports add to the increasing number of reports from across Burma of intimation of political activists before, during and after the fake election on 7th November.
Reports received by Burma Campaign UK include:
NDPD supporters were arrested by the Border Security Force (NaSaKa) in Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State.
During election day, NDPD candidates were detained in the Election Commission office until 12pm, while Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) candidates continued to campaign in and near voting stations.
NaSaKa (Border Security Force) beat 7 NDPD supporters in front of Alay Than Kyaw Poll station of Maungdaw Township on election day.
Three residents from Kyauk Chaung (Shil Khali) village and four others from Zeebin Chaung (Zeepin Khali) village were also arrested.
There were about 38 people in total arrested on Election Day in Maungdaw.
In Maungdaw Township two people were arrested by NaSaKa’s area commander Major San Win Khine over their support of the NDPD, and are thought to remain in custody now.
NDPD believe they had overwhelming support in Maungdaw, but the Election Commission has announced that all the seats were won by the pro-military USDP.
The Election Commission told NDPD candidates from Buthidaung to sign that USDP have won and they lost, but they are refusing to sign.
“The scale of intimidation and vote-rigging in this election is huge,” said Mark Farmaner, Director at Burma Campaign UK. “Those countries saying these elections are a positive step forward are living in cloud cuckoo land. These elections have directly led to an increase in human rights abuses, and are designed to maintain a dictatorship which will keep the people of Burma in poverty and fear.”