Authorities threaten to abolish Arakanese party

Maung Aye
The members of the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD) said local authorities have been threatening to eliminate their party accusing  them of fraud in their campaigns to extend their party memberships in Arakan State and Chin State.

“The authority personnel have frequently charged that the names of our party members do not correspond to the numbers of their national identity cards. They have threatened even to abolish our party if we recruit the members with incorrect identities. This is not an important matter, but they are making it big intentionally to disturb our recruitment process”,said U Mrat Tun, the chairman of the party for Pauktaw Township in Arakan State.
He said that there are already 200 members in their party in Pauktaw Township and the authority personnel have been scrutinizing the identities of the new applicants in the party in the area.
U Aye Kyaw, the ALD’s vice president, also confirmed that his head office has received reports of intimidation by the officials of the local authorities from his party members in Pauktaw Township in Arakan State and Palatwa Township in Chin State.
“We have received reports of intimidation by the local authorities including officials of the immigration department and the bureau of special investigation from our party members in Pauktaw and Palatwa. The authorities are now scrutinizing our party members in Sittwe and other townships as well. Our members from Pauktaw reported that the officials there have even threatened to annul our party’s registration because of some differences between names and identity numbers of our members”, said U Aye Kyaw.
He said the township-level leaders of his party have faced problems with the authorities for their campaign trips in Palatwa Township as well.
“Our chairman from Palatwa Township has come to our office today and reported to us that they faced problems with the authorities for their trip in the township. He told us that the authorities have permitted them only for ten days though they have applied for one month for their trip in the area. But they have allowed the USDP and the NLD one month for their campaigns in the area”, he added.
A team of the ALD led by the president U Aye Thar Aung and the secretary U Myo Kyaw is also said to have been travelling for their organizing campaigns across Arakan State and they have now arrived in Kyaukpru Township.
The Arakan Leagued for Democracy was outlawed by the military regime after it won the majority of votes in Arakan State in 1990’s elections.
The party has been re-registered as a political party by the union election commission on 30 May 2012, after it applied for its registration on 26 April 2012.