Mawlamyine, January (14)
The local People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) told Than Lwin Times that they will respond step by step to the junta’s collection of population censuses in some townships in Mon State for the upcoming elections.
Since January 9, the military council has been collecting the ground population census under full security in some townships, including Maylamyine, Chaungson and Thanbyuzayat in Mon State.
The population census is being conducted by staff from junta-controlled Immigration Department and administration offices, and soldiers, police and militia members are providing security for them.
According to the chief of the Ye Guerrilla Force (YGF) in Ye Township, those who participated in the population census will be investigated and warned, and if the people are harmed, action will be taken against the offenders.
Lieutenant Kyan Yit stated that there were purposes to arrest revolutionaries and CDMs behind the collection of population census.
According to local residents, the census teams gathered at a house, asked the householders of about 10 houses to bring the census, and asked the people on the list if they were at home and their occupations.
The leader of the Paung PDF, Thakhin Myo Sett, told Than Lwin Times that the military council will not be able to conduct a nationwide census and the PDFs will prevent the junta from holding an election.
The military council is propagandizing that it will hold free and fair multi-party democratic general elections throughout the country and hand over power to the winning party.
Additionally, the military council has declared a cease-fire for 2023, but on the other hand, fighter jets are currently bombing the headquarters and battalions of ethnic armed groups.
Ko Aye Min Tun, the person in charge of Thaton PDF, warned that if the election is held despite the political and diplomatic leading organizations preventing it from happening, the military council will face severe reactions.
The military council plans to collect the population census door to door from January 9 to 31 for the upcoming election.
The NUG’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration Department called for people not to participate in the ground population census on January 9 and said it will take action against those who participated in data collection under the Anti-Terrorism Act. News-Than Lwin Times
