No way for voters in Tachilek to "express his wish secretly

SHAN NEWS
On 6 April, officials providing referendum training people in Kengtung, Mongyawng, Mongphyak and Tachilek, taught them only to tick in favor of the junta-drafted charter, according to local sources.

Officials from District Peace and Development Council (DPDC) and Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) explained the draft constitution and how to vote at the city hall in Tachilek on the Thai-Burma border. The time for voting the draft constitutional referendum would be between 8:00 to 16:00.

There were about 200 headmen from different village tracts and villages who attended this workshop.

According to the workshop, each polling booth team of ten will be led by a headman, with the rest divided into 3 sub-teams of 3 each, one to check ID cards and issue ballots; another to oversee the voters marking their ballots and the last for security.

After the polling booth is closed, local authorities will count the ballots in front of the public without letting the public to stay near them. “That is not transparency," said the source.

The headmen from every township in eastern of Shan State were also selected to attend trainings at Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma.

"People who went to attend workshops at Naypyidaw were each paid Kyat10, 000 ($8) by the junta and given a car with a driver for use during their free time," said a participant returning from Naypyidaw workshop.

"During the training some headmen made phone calls to their assistants back home and instructed them to train the villagers only to tick. They said putting symbols other than the tick would only make the military remain in their power," he added.

In other townships like Muse and Namkham, there will be one polling booth to accommodate 1,000 voters. But in Tachilek township, there will be one polling booth for every 3,000 voters, according to sources.

In Kengtung, authorities had already provided 3 training workshops in March.

According to the Referendum Law, announced on 26 February, "a person eligible to vote shall obtain the ballot paper from Polling Booth Officer or person assigned by Polling Booth Officer, express his wish secretly at the stipulated place in the polling booth and put it into the ballot box,"