Irrawaddy-Jan 13
Myanmar resistance forces launched bomb attacks on voter registration sites in Mandalay on Thursday, as a final warning to people aiding the military regime’s preparations for the sham general election it plans to stage later this year. The non-deadly bomb attacks came as the junta began forcibly collecting voter data nationwide this week. Urban guerrilla People’s Defense Force (PDF) conducted bomb attacks on Thursday in five Mandalay venues where the junta has been compiling household registrations for its planned poll. No More Dictatorship said that the bomb attacks were deliberately non-lethal as they were intended as a final warning to people working on the junta’s election, which will prolong the military dictatorship. However, the PDF warned that future attacks will be potentially lethal and urged the public to stay away from regime officials. At least two bomb attacks were reported this week in Yangon, one at the municipal office in Mingaladon Township on Tuesday and another in Tamwe Township. No casualties were reported, as the attacks were intended as warnings. On Monday, the military regime began gathering household registrations for its planned election, a process expected to continue until the end of the month. In some areas, administrative bodies and immigration officers, started compiling voter lists via door-to-door data collection. The parallel National Unity Government’s (NUG) Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration warned on January 9 that it will take action under the Counter-Terrorism Law against anyone who assists or takes part in junta efforts to hold an illegitimate election. In Myanmar, the proposed election is widely viewed as an attempt by the junta to tighten its grip on power following its 2021 coup. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/war-against-the-junta/myanmar-junta-voter-registration-sites-bombed-by-resistance-forces.html
