Civil servants in Myanmar’s administrative capital Naypyitaw have been pressured to cast ballots in the junta-run election being held today and to submit proof that they voted, according to sources.
Staff from several ministries said they had been instructed by their respective departments to provide evidence of their participation in the vote.
“We have to send proof that we voted—photos showing ink on our fingers or pictures of us standing in line—to officials in our department,” said a senior officer who requested anonymity for security reasons.
Employees of the Department of Rural Development, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, the General Administration Department, and the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Education all reported facing pressure from their supervisors.
One family member of an employee at the Ministry of Education said voting was unavoidable due to the number of people being mobilised.
“I haven’t voted yet. I’ll go after lunch with my family,” the person said. “I don’t dare not to vote.”
In Naypyitaw’s Zabuthiri Township—where large numbers of government employees reside—hundreds of civil servants were seen lining up at polling stations, according to residents. Some ministries also arranged transportation, using office vehicles to ferry staff to and from polling stations.
“Not every department does this,” said an official from a ministry office in Naypyitaw. “But if people in a department don’t vote, the pressure comes down, so some senior officials take matters into their own hands.”
Residents also reported that polling stations in townships with large populations of civil servants and military families—such as Zabuthiri, Pobbathiri and Zeyathiri—were far more crowded than those in Pyinmana, Tatkone and Lewe, where voter turnout appeared significantly lower.
According to the junta-controlled Union Election Commission, more than 900,000 people across Naypyitaw’s eight townships are eligible to vote.
Rockets strike Mandalay hours before voting
In a related development, two people were reportedly injured after rockets were fired into Mandalay just hours before polling stations opened, according to local residents and officials.
The attack occurred shortly after 1am on Sunday, when rockets landed and exploded in a residential area near 86th Street and 5th Street in Aungmyaythazan Township, northwest of the moat surrounding Mandalay Palace, residents said.
At least four rockets were fired, three of which landed and exploded on islets in the Ayeyarwady River, the junta’s Mandalay Region Chief Minister Myo Aung told local media.
He said the rockets were fired from the Sagaing side of the river, west of Mandalay. Sagaing is the heartland of the ongoing armed resistance movement against the coup regime.
Resistance forces throughout the country have urged the public not to participate in the junta-organised elections, declaring an election boycott during the weeks of preparation and campaigning between October 28 and December 31.
Following the attack, security was significantly tightened across Mandalay on the morning of the vote, residents said, as polling stations opened under heavy guard.
In Aungmyaythazan and Chanayethazan townships, roads leading to polling stations were blocked from more than 200 metres away, with soldiers stationed at checkpoints. Residents said voters were required to hand over their mobile phones before being allowed to enter polling stations.
The attack came amid heightened security measures across the city in the lead-up to the election, with residents reporting increased patrols and restrictions on movement in several neighbourhoods.
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