Junta officials and troops pressure Mandalay residents to vote in door-to-door intimidation campaign

Junta-appointed election officials and accompanying troops have been going door to door in Mandalay City this week, residents said, pressuring households to vote and threatening those who resist. On December 1, residents said groups of pro-junta militia members in civilian clothes, accompanied by about 10 ward administrators, have been moving through multiple township wards, checking names against voter lists and warning people of “serious consequences” if they decline to cast a ballot. “They went door to door, pressuring residents,” said a male resident in his 20s. “They were armed, some in civilian clothes and others in military uniforms. The soldiers seemed to be accompanying the ward administration staff for protection.” Sources say the homes of residents of conscription age, students, or those with family members who had previously supported the National League for Democracy (NLD) were especially targeted and subjected to more stringent checks. As a result, many residents are so fearful of the consequences that they now feel compelled to vote. “I heard they threatened students, warning that they wouldn’t be allowed to take their Grade 12 or university exams if they didn’t vote,” another source said, who requested anonymity. “They also intimidated young men and women of conscription age with potential harm.” “I believe some will vote out of fear,” he added. The group consisted of at least 20 personnel—including immigration officers, soldiers, Pyu Saw Htee pro-junta militia members and police—went door to door near the Royal Palace in Aungmyaythazan Township, checking household registrations and pressuring residents to vote, locals said. Military vehicles patrolled the area as protection. In Mahaaungmyay Township, armed soldiers in ready-to-fire positions drove through Than Hlyat Maw ward, broadcasting orders for residents to check voter lists at the ward office in what appeared to be an intimidation tactic, a woman from the village said.“The vehicle announcing voter list checks had Pyu Saw Htee members and junta soldiers in uniform, holding their guns in ready-to-fire positions,” she said. “They looked like they were threatening the public.”Myanmar’s upcoming junta-run election has been widely condemned as a sham, with critics saying it cannot be free or fair under wartime conditions and military control. Rights groups warn the vote is designed to legitimise the regime rather than reflect the will of the public. In the lead-up to the vote, the junta has intensified arrests of activists, journalists and suspected critics, sweeping up anyone seen as opposing its authority. Rights groups say the crackdown is aimed at silencing dissent and clearing the way for a tightly controlled election. Despite the arrests, on December 3, resistance members protested the election by throwing “No Vote” leaflets into a crowded market in the city of Mandalay. Junta troops responded by stepping up their hunt for the protestors, threatening them with death if caught, and carrying out checks throughout the city and surrounding areas. Conditions across Myanmar have deteriorated sharply since the coup, with declines in security, the economy and essential services compounding the daily pressure on civilians.The UN estimates that the conflict has displaced around 3.6 million people nationwide. At the same ime, rights monitors say the death toll from Myanmar’s post-coup conflict has climbed into the thousands, with the real figure likely far higher. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners estimates that more than 7,500 civilians and pro-democracy activists have been killed, while a UN rights office report put the confirmed toll at over 5,000.Researchers note that large parts of the country remain inaccessible and many killings go unrecorded, suggesting the true scale of junta violence is significantly undercounted. Shoppers and vendors in a Mandalay City market display anti-voting messages during a December 3 protest, reflecting growing public resistance to the junta’s planned election. (Photo: Screenshot) The latest World Food Programme report lists Myanmar’s food insecurity as a “very high concern,” and in 2023, the country recorded the highest number of deaths worldwide caused by landmines and unexploded military ordnance. On November 6, the National Unity Government (NUG)’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration announced that individuals could report any threats related to voting in the sham election. The NUG’s Ministry of Home Affairs stated that any form of threats or coercion to vote or cast an early ballot is unlawful, infringes on human rights, and amounts to election-related violence. A resident of Mandalay’s Chanayethazan Township said he sees no reason to vote again, noting that the ballot he cast freely in 2020 was rendered meaningless when the military overturned the results. “In Mandalay and Sagaing regions, the economy has been shattered by both the earthquake and political turmoil,” he said. “While people are suffering physically and mentally, I condemn the junta for refusing relief efforts and instead concentrating on strengthening their regime by force.”

Junta officials and troops pressure Mandalay residents to vote in door-to-door intimidation campaign

Locals say soldiers are coercing participation in an election widely seen as meaningless, as arrests surge and fear deepens across the city

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