Burma By-Election: Suu Kyi intimidated but not beaten

National League for Democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi warned that tomorrow’s Burma’s parliamentary by-elections are not free or fair.

Mrs Suu Kyi claimed opposition candidates had been harassed, their campaign posters vandalised and intimidated.

Mrs Suu Kyi alleged government officials were involved. In a televised broadcast last week the country’s president, Thein Sein admitted to “unnecessary errors’ involving ballot lists.

Mrs Suu Kyi’s party, the NLD, claimed that there were “many cases of intimidation” in the run up to the by-election and accused election commissioners of endorsing the ruling party, the USDP, leaving eligible people of the voting lists and including dead people.

Last week Karen News reported that the Myaungmya Township branch of the National League for Democracy, submitted an official complaint against a village administration head for making threats against the NLD election campaign team.

During a NLD’s election campaign trip on March 15th to Shan Kyaw village, Myaungmya Township in the Irrawaddy Region, an argument broke out with village administration head and the NLD team.

U Win Shwe, a member of the NLD’s Myaungmya Township campaign team, alleges that the day after the incident, the village administration headman came to the front of the NLD’s campaign office and verbally abused the NLD members.

Despite the harassment of the NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi promised not to give up for the sake of the country’s fragile reforms.