An anti-referendum graffiti campaign which began in the heart of Mon State during the New Year Water Festival Songkran has since spread throughout Mon State.
According to a graffiti campaigner from southern Burma, they used red and white paint to cover pro-SPDC billboards positioned along the main roads, either rewriting their message altogether or simply writing the word 'No' over the SPDC's 'Yes'. They also sprayed walls, roads and bus stops with their powerful message.
"Beginning in the early hours of April 14, we sprayed our message in public places as well as places of worship and at selected viewpoints along the mountain road, where we used white paint across the seats. The authorities repainted our white coloured seats with red paint by about at 9' clock," a campaign leader told Kaowao.
The Burmese junta had been broadcasting their 'Vote Yes' campaign daily across official media outlets including television and newspaper. Opposition groups on the other hand have been less successful in transmitting their message, and have faced multiple arrests. This week alone, purely on suspicion of campaigning against the constitutional referendum, over two dozen activists including a famous singer were detained indefinitely.
This graffiti campaign led by youths from Mon state successfully demonstrated opposition to the referendum, and reached a wide audience by using the many SPDC 'Vote Yes' billboards placed along the main road connecting Moulmein with many other towns.
"We mainly targeted signs from Moulmein to Kyait Mayaw, and Kyait Khami where there were many points of heavy traffic during the water festival. We erased and sprayed the SPDC 'Yes' signs in many places. Our first priority is to tell the people to vote "No". Our second priority is to destroy or deface the SPDC
'Yes' billboards," said a campaigner.
Authorities outside Sattoi village, Mudon Township noticed their signs at the entrance to the village had been defaced. With no one to blame, they forced the village headmen to erase the graffiti and clean the signs.
Having reported seeing graffiti in public places and on bridge signboards along the road from Moulmein to Kaw Bain village on the final day of Songkran festivities, a Moulmein University student told Kaowao the 'Vote No' campaign was not confined to graffiti. During the water festival, many youths wore new T-shirts with 'N' and 'X' emblazoned across the front and back. These shirts were an original design, and were worn by people from inside and outside Burma. Although all students were checked and some interrogated, no significant action was taken against those wearing the T-shirts.
"If they (checkpoint authorities) found anyone wearing T-shirts with the 'X' and 'N' design, they questioned them, but the design of the T-shirt is not definitely anti-referendum, or directly in response to their 'Yes' shirts. It is an original one, that's why they couldn't take any action. For example, they allowed me to pass through, even though I wore a T-shirt with a big red 'X' inside a circle on it," he said.
Although the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) is still pushing it's 'Yes' campaign, demanding approval of the constitution in the ensuing May 10 referendum, so too are the activists who began their 'No' campaign during the Songkran Water Festival and have vowed to continue their uphill battle.
