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People tricked into supporting draft constitution
Local authorities at Muse Township on the Sino-Burma border had held a mock polling session with the people, after which the mock result for support was sent to the new capital Naypyidaw as the real result, according to Muse sources.
By Lieng
Lern
On 27-28 April 2008, a former
teacher U Win Maung, age 60, led a group of Union Solidarity and Development
Association (USDA), fire brigade and Red Cross and held a meeting with the
people from Wan Kat and Wan Zan tract, teaching them how to cast yes
vote.
There were 20 people attending the training at Wan Kat tract, and
30 people at Wan Zan tract.
People who attended the training had to show
their ID cards before the training started.
The instructors later told
the trainees that people who came to vote in this training need not vote on May
10, because all the support vote would be transferred to the
Naypidaw.
"We didn't know they [local authorities] would trick us. They
just explained to us how to vote, let us practice and then count the ballots in
front of us," a participant told SHAN.
Junta TV announced on 9 April
that the referendum would be held on 10 May. Limited copies of the draft
constitution have also been made available for public review on the same day.
But more of the people didn't know what about they are going to vote.
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