Burma’s main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), called on the military government on Thursday to drop its opposition to the attendance of international observers at the constitutional referendum, now set for May 10.NLD spokesman Nyan Win said the party wanted to ensure a free and fair vote on the regime’s draft constitution, and for that reason it wanted the presence of international observers.
Burmese people buy copies of a proposed draft charter at a bookstore in Rangoon. (Photo: Reuters)In a statement in Rangoon, Nyan Win said that although pro-government organizations were allowed to campaign for a “Yes” vote in the referendum, NLD members were being arrested for taking an opposing stand. “The authorities deter any move by dissidents, particularly the NLD’s.” The May 10 date of the referendum was announced on state-run radio and TV on Wednesday evening and in the press on Thursday. The Rangoon journal Biweekly Eleven reported on Thursday that polling stations will be open from 6 a.m. until 4 p.m. Detainees awaiting trial and not yet convicted will be able to vote, the journal said.The government has launched its own pamphlet campaign, urging the electorate to vote “Yes.” Nyan Win said NLD members participating in the party’s own “Vote No” campaign continued to face harassment. Nevertheless, NLD activists might step up their campaign, he added.The regime, meanwhile, on Thursday accused “certain foreign powers” of using “a variety of means” to aid and abet “some local parties to destabilize the country.” The accusation was carried by the government daily The New Light of Myanmar.
Burmese people buy copies of a proposed draft charter at a bookstore in Rangoon. (Photo: Reuters)In a statement in Rangoon, Nyan Win said that although pro-government organizations were allowed to campaign for a “Yes” vote in the referendum, NLD members were being arrested for taking an opposing stand. “The authorities deter any move by dissidents, particularly the NLD’s.” The May 10 date of the referendum was announced on state-run radio and TV on Wednesday evening and in the press on Thursday. The Rangoon journal Biweekly Eleven reported on Thursday that polling stations will be open from 6 a.m. until 4 p.m. Detainees awaiting trial and not yet convicted will be able to vote, the journal said.The government has launched its own pamphlet campaign, urging the electorate to vote “Yes.” Nyan Win said NLD members participating in the party’s own “Vote No” campaign continued to face harassment. Nevertheless, NLD activists might step up their campaign, he added.The regime, meanwhile, on Thursday accused “certain foreign powers” of using “a variety of means” to aid and abet “some local parties to destabilize the country.” The accusation was carried by the government daily The New Light of Myanmar.
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