A tribunal created by the Union Election Commission (UEC) will take another look at a complaint filed by a National League for Democracy (NLD) candidate against U Zahkung Ting Ying, a Kachin militia leader who banned the NLD from campaigning in his territory.
U San Wai Khaung Lwan, who ran for the Kachin State Parliament in Hsawlaw Township, said he submitted the report to the UEC on behalf of all the NLD candidates that were prevented from campaigning in parts of Chipwi, Hsawlaw, and Injangyang townships, that are under the control of the recently re-elected independent Upper House MP U Zahkung Ting Ying, the long-time head of the New Democratic Army – Kachin (NDA-K).
“We didn’t report him because we didn’t win the seats and lost. An armed group threatened us by preventing NLD candidates from going there.
We are reporting the injustices relating to their threats to arrest and kill us,” U San Wai Khaung Lwan told BNI Election Newsroom.
In the lead up to the election, U Zahkung Ting Ying issued an official letter, warning candidates against campaigning in the territory he has run as his personal fiefdom, Kachin State Special Region No. 1. When a group of NLD candidates and their supporters went anyway they were beaten up.
When the NLD submitted the report to the UEC after the election, the UEC called both the NLD plaintiff and the defendant to its headquarters in Nay Pyi Taw for an investigation in December, but the plaintiff was then asked to submit the report again after claiming that the wrong job title has been used. After the NLD re-submitted the report, the UEC said it would hear the report on January 11.
When the NLD candidates were attacked while campaigning in the Chipwi area, Chipwi Township’s Upper House candidate U Tun TunOo filed a report with the township police. The police claimed to have opened the case but have yet to release anything.
BNI Election Newsroom has been unable to contact U Zahkung Ting Ying up till now.
According to the NLD, U Zahkung Ting Ying did not himself attend the hearing in December but instead sent one of his assistants.
Courtesy BNI