The junta has been pressuring residents of Loikaw, the capital of Karenni (Kayah) State, not to miss voting in the sham election it is orchestrating, while also tightening security in the city ahead of the vote, locals said.
As the election approaches, the junta has been setting up checkpoints and intensifying stringent inspections of pedestrians and vehicles in Loikaw.
“Because of the stricter checks, people are staying indoors. At night, especially after 8:00 pm, hardly anyone dares to go out. Lately, soldiers have been stopping cars and motorbikes a lot, checking registrations and driving licenses. There have even been cases where people were arrested,” said a woman from Loikaw City.
The junta-controlled Union Election Commission (UEC) has announced that the elections will be held in three phases: Phase 1 on December 28, Phase 2 on January 11, and Phase 3 on January 25.
The junta has ordered voting across all of Loikaw Township, except for the villages in the Parlaung and Teelon village tracts.
The coup regime has been urging Loikaw residents to vote, even offering rice and oil in some areas to encourage participation. There have also been reports of residents being pressured to verify voter lists.
“In the wards, the authorities handed out rice and oil and urged us to vote. They also told us to check the voter lists. Since we couldn’t refuse, we had no choice but to do what they said,” another local told NMG.
The junta also forced displaced people who had fled the city during the fighting to return home before the election.
According to the Union of Karenni State Youth (UKSY), the junta has been targeting the shelters of locals who have not returned to Loikaw with artillery and airstrikes, leaving them with no choice but to go back to the city.
“The junta’s military operations are still going on in the eastern part of Loikaw. Fighting could break out at any time, and security isn’t guaranteed, so displaced people have ended up returning to the city. In other words, the junta has indirectly forced people back to their homes through military pressure. Once they return to Loikaw, they are forced to vote,” said a spokesperson for the UKSY.
Since the junta has already collected voter registrations for most Loikaw residents, it has become difficult for those returning to avoid being pressured to go to polling stations against their wishes.
U Kyaw Moe Tun, the pro-resistance Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations, has also warned the UN that the junta is escalating its use of technology to track, monitor, and intimidate the public.
Human rights activists and observers have criticized the upcoming junta-run election, saying it will be held without the will of the people and describing it as a sham that is neither free nor fair.
