Army to Deploy in Rural Areas for Referendum

Taungup: The Burmese army is expected to be deployed in rural areas of Arakan State to monitor the constitutional referendum scheduled to be held on 10 May, 2008.
A human rights activist in Taungup said, "Many soldiers from Taungup were sent yesterday to rural areas of Rambree Township on Rambree Island on board several motor boats."

The soldiers are from the Military Operation Planning Bureau, known as Sakhaka 15, based in Taungup, and it is likely they were deployed to monitor the referendum in the area.

I heard that the high authority also has plans to deploy soldiers to rural of Thandwe and Gwa Townships, and other army personnel will be dispatched to those areas today or tomorrow," he said.

Thandwe and Gwa are located in southern Arakan State ad some villages in the two townships are situated in isolated areas.

"It is a plan of the military government to gain victory in the referendum because the villagers will have to cast "yes" votes in referendum when they see the soldiers. Everyone is afraid of the army in Arakan State and it would be impossible for people to cast a "no" vote in front of soldiers," he said.

In northern Arakan, there has been no army deployment to monitor the referendum, but many army units have been patrolling the rural areas to support the election commission in mobilizing people to cast "yes" votes.

Burmese army personnel in Paletwa Township of southern Chin State, near Arakan's Kyauktaw Township, have been visiting several rural villages and have been urging people to cast "yes" votes in the referendum.

Source