Taaung group accuses township of bias towards junta-backed party

Monday, 19 July 2010 23:41 Salai Tun

New Delhi (Mizzima) – A peace and development council in Northern Shan State has been giving preferential treatment to a junta-sponsored party while restricting the movement of an ethnic Palaung party, an activists group says.

The Mantone Township Peace and Development Council in Northern Shan State had treated the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and Taaung (Palaung) National Party (TNP) unequally during their campaigns, the Taaung Students and Youth Association, based in Thailand, said.

Council chairman Kyaw Zin told the TNP early this month it must give seven days advance notice if the party wanted to campaign in Mantone, a restriction the USDP was clearly not bound by during its recent campaigning.

“The USDP have conducted electoral campaigns since few months ago. They didn’t need to obey any government restriction. But, the freedom of TNP’s movement for the forthcoming election is being limited,” Taaung Students and Youth Association secretary Mai Aung Ko told Mizzima. “That is a clear evidence of a strong bias in favour of the USDP. They want to give the USDP a powerful position to win in the forthcoming elections.”

“The authorities have restricted TNP’s electoral actions and directed the TNP to let them know about their electoral campaigns seven days in advance. On the other hand, the USDP hasn’t needed to inform them. Currently, they are freely conducting electoral campaigning in Maimaw village”, he added.

The TNP started its campaigning early this month, but the order from the chairman of the council disturbed its campaigners.

“Some TNP campaigners are about to start their electoral campaigns so they can’t decide whether they should go on to conduct the campaigns or go back. Mantone campaigners told me they had encountered many difficulties”, Mai Aung Ko said.

Party general secretary Mai Ohn Khine Ko, currently in Mandalay, confirmed with Mizzima he had heard of his party campaigners’ difficulties but had no details.

“I heard yesterday that we needed to inform about our campaigns to local authorities seven days in advance but I don’t know any details because of poor communication links with that area,” he said.

TNP will contest in Namsan, Mantone, Namkham, Kyaukme, Kutkhine and other townships in Northern Shan State in the forthcoming election.

It is estimated that the USDP, led by current Prime Minister Thein Sein, and the National Unity Party, will also contest in Northern Shan State constituencies.

The Taaung Students and Youth Association rejects Burma’s 2008 constitution and distrusts the junta’s forthcoming election.