Myanmar Military Council Released Detained Election Commission officials from regions and states
By Joseph KZH
Yangon, Myanmar (GNJ): The Myanmar military Council (State Administration Council) released the officials from the election sub-commissions in various regions and states on the morning of March 17 after they had been held in detention since the second week of February after over a month’s detention.
On 17 March, Gloria News Journal, Editor-in-Chief, Joseph Kung Za Hmung called the phone of Salai Thawng Za Sang, Hakha Township Election Commission Staff Officer to make sure if he is also released or not.
Luckily, he held his phone and replied him that he and his other detained election officials were released from military camp in the evening of 16 March. “Military officers treated us well, providing one person one room and we were asked to have cooperation with them. We showed them statistics of election with good food without forced confession, torture and intimidation,” said Mr. Thawng Za Sang, Hakha Township Election Sub-Commission Staff Officer.
“As Chin state is very small population, we did not make any mistakes. I told military officers that they can check us and we will tell you the truth,” said Salai Thawng Za Sang.
When asked if he was sacked from his office, “I don’t know. I don’t get any letter from military. I heard General Min Aung Hlaing appointed Dr. Ba Maw who was a Chin historian and former state minister of social welfare ministry during former President Thein Sein government,” said Salai Thawng Za Sang.
Some commission officials said all the detainees from the election sub-commissions in the regions and states including Yangon Region, Mandalay Region and Kayin State were assumed to be released.
He said they were detained for over a month regarding the 2020 general election but they didn’t face any interrogation.
“The Union Election Commission (UEC) and the region sub-commission came to inspect. Together with their own departmental staff, they conducted checks in the townships. We had to sit beside them. We were not assigned any duty. We didn’t have to give our signatures. That’s all,” he added.
“We didn’t know anything. More than a month has passed while we ate and slept. There was no announcement. But today, we were told that we were to go home. No one was called for questioning,” said Zaw Win, chairman of Tharkayta Township Election Sub-commission.
According to commission members in Yangon Region, they were allowed access to phones and internet during their detention. But, some states did not allow the detainees to use radio, TV or phone.
Those detailed commission officials from Kayin State and Mandalay Region were also released today.
“We were not asked any question. But we had to tell about our opinion about the election. We didn’t have many mistakes in our region,” said Htay Maung, chair of Kawkareik District Election Sub-commission.
The then UEC chair Hla Thein and some members as well as officials from region and state election sub-commissions were detained in February. The newly-formed UEC is conducting checks on the voter lists used in the 2020 election.
The new commission has announced that there were irregularities and malpractices over voter list making, advanced coting and voting on the Election Day.
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