A mob of around 150 people smashed windows and damaged vehicles on Saturday while ransacking the house of a member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in a fresh bout of election-related violence.
Police have arrested 19 people following the attack by supporters of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in Kanni village, in Magwe region’s Myaing township.
They are hunting for 13 others suspected of damaging property at the home of Myint Naing, a local NLD executive committee member.
The 19 have been charged under the Public Property Protection Act, which carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison, Myaing township’s General Administrator, Thant Zin Khaing. told Myanmar Now.
Violence broke out at around 7.30pm after Nay Win, a well-known local USDP supporter, went to Myint Naing’s house to tell him to stop playing the NLD’s victory song through a loudspeaker.
Myint Naing told Myanmar Now that when he refused, Nay Win attacked him with a blunt knife. “He just suddenly stabbed me in the neck with a knife. But the knife wasn’t sharp enough and I only got some scratches,” he said.
“But they were insulting me in my own compound, so I fought back. His brother saw it and came back with a group of people fifteen minutes later,” he added.
A mob formed and Myint Naing and his family hid inside while they demanded he come out. Then they began throwing stones, he said, before entering the property and ransacking it.
They smashed car windows, tipped over a truck, damaged or destroyed 12 motorbikes, tore down NLD signboards and destroyed the loudspeaker system, he said.
Five police officers were initially sent to control the mob but failed and had to call in dozens of others as reinforcements.
As police tried to escort the family away the mob pelted their vehicles with stones.
Myint Naing later pressed charges against Nay Win for aggravated assault and trespassing at the local Lin Kay Tar police station.
Kanni village is considered a USDP stronghold. During the 2015 election campaign period USDP supporters refused to allow an NLD campaign march to enter the village, said Win Htay, a regional NLD MP.
Last month advocates from the Burma Human Rights Network said that the NLD was stepping up its campaigns in USDP strongholds and warned that “the opportunity for violence in these areas is high”.
San Nyunt Aung, the USDP’s secretary in Magwe region, told Myanmar Now that Nay Win was not a party member, despite the fact rumours have circulated that he is.
“Well, it’s being investigated now,” he said. “The police are investigating what really happened. There’s no answer yet and people are blindly saying Nay Win is a USDP member.”
Thant Zin Khaing, the township General Administrator, said Myint Naing and his family have been instructed to stay outside of Kanni village, while police are now guarding Myint Naing’s house.
