May 2, 2010

Election Fever

            Myanmar’smarch towards democracy has commenced with the Prime Minister Thein Sein and 27other ministers and deputy ministers having joined the Union Solidarity andDevelopment Party (USDA) to contest polls. Thein Sein and fellow generalsresigned from their army posts to join the USDA, which is a front for themilitary and claims more than 20 million members out of a population ofapproximately 56 million. Major General Nyan Win, minister of foreign affairs,Colonel Zaw Min, minister for electrical power, former Major General Khin MgMyint, Major General Hla Tun, minister for finance and revenue, BrigadierGeneral Thein Zaw, minister of communication and Brigadier General Tin NaingThein, minister of commerce were the prominent military personnel to resign.

            Pro-democracy leader Aung San SuuKyi filed a lawsuit with Myanmar'sSupreme Court to prevent dissolution of her party under the new election lawwhich disqualifies the National League for Democracy (NLD) for elections as ithas a number of members who have been detained.

            The Myanmar Union Election Commission hasapproved a number of political parties for registration to include, Pa-OhNational Organisation, Taaung National Party, Wunthanu NLD, 88 GenerationStudent Youths (Union of Myanmar) and the Union of Myanmar Federation ofNational Politics. More political groups are preparing to register with theElection Commission to include National Unity Party (NUP) formerly the BurmeseSocialist Programme Party, Democratic Party (DPM), Union of Myanmar NationalPolitical Force, Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), backed bythe military junta and the Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP) led by DrManam Tuja, former leader of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

Chinpolitical activists are planning to form a new party to contest the election;several prominent Karen nationals are busy forming political parties.  A Central Executive Committee member of theNLD, Khin Maung Swe is said to be contemplating to go alone after the May 6deadline for registration though he claims he would continue to be loyal tofounder Aung San Suu Kyi and the party until the deadline.   

            During the water festival period inApril there were a series of mysterious blasts with the first on April 14 at atoll gate in Muse check point in Shan state run by the private Asia WorldCompany, the second on the same day at the compound of a check point insoutheastern Kayin state's Kawkareik, injuring three persons, the third with aseries of three bombs on April 15 at a water throwing pandal in Yangon, killing10 people and injuring 170, and the fourth with 10 bombs on April 17 at fourworksites of the Myitsone hydropower dam project in the upper reaches of theAyeyawaddy River in northernmost Kachin state, injured one person anddestroying two temporary buildings and six motor vehicles. A series of grenadeblasts on 27 April wounded four workers at the Thaukyegat hydropower plantunder construction in Bago Division, 220 kilometres northeast of Yangon.Local rebels are suspected to be behind these blasts.

MAY 2010