Narinjara News, January19, 2023

As the election to be held by the Military Council isapproaching, the number of deaths of staff working for the election includingvillage administrators is gradually increasing according to reports in theregion.

On January 15, Special Task Force - Mandalay (STF - MDY)said that U Saw, a ward administrator appointed by the Military Council, wasshot dead in front of his house on 69th street, Between 40th street and 41ststreet in Maha Aungmye Township, Mandalay.

U Myint Aung, 65, the administrator of No.2 in KyondoeTownship, Kawkareik District, Karen State, was shot dead by an unknown group ofpeople on January 14 at noon while going up to Kyondoe Mountain Monastery todonate water, residents said.

Similarly, Aung Tun, the administrator appointed by theMilitary Council, was shot and killed in Mayanchaung Village, Kyaikto Township,Mon State on January 14 according to local news sources.

The STF - MDY group also attacked a meeting for the electionof the Military Council in Wathondare Chapel at 84th street, corner of Bo EainRoad, Kyun Lone Oak Shaung Ward, Chanmyathazi Township, with grenades.

The Ministry of Home Affairs of the National UnityGovernment (NUG) announced that 3 female and 1 male staff from the GeneralAdministration Department, who were collecting population census for theMilitary Council in Myaung Township, Sagaing Province, were arrested by thePeople's Administration Committee of Sagaing District.

On January 9th, Sub-Inspector Thein Htike under the MilitaryCouncil, who was responsible for providing security to the villageadministrator group that was conducting population census in TanintharyiLaunglon Township, was shot dead.

In addition, on January 13, the Thathong People's DefenseForce (PDF) said that the administrator and the clerk who were collecting thecensus in Taungsun Village, Thaton Township, Mon State, were shot dead.

Similarly, a 10-houses-group elder and another person fromKinmunchaung Village, Kyaikto Township were also shot dead for collecting thecensus.

"People from above are being forced to do what peopledisagree with, and people at the bottom are being killed. The Military Councilcannot provide security. Shall I say it was because of their karma?" saida woman living in Chanmyathazi, Mandalay.

She said it is worrying that the number of people killed andthe number of dead may increase due to the military council elections that willbe held this year.

The National Unity Government (NUG) has announced that it isappealing to the public to make errors in the census, and to record and reportthe population census as a protest against the election to be held by theMilitary Council.

The census was conducted in the provinces and regions fromJanuary 9 to 13, and during that time, there were 7 attacks in Mandalay,Sagaing, Tanintharyi, Karen and Chin, according to the newspaper of theMilitary Council on January 14.

The Military Council has also announced that the nationwidepopulation census will be conducted from January 9 to January 31.