A PDF official in Thaton District said that they will annihilate those who are collecting the population census in order to hold the election that the SAC is dreaming of.
Since 9 January, in Paung, Thaton, Bilin and Kyaikto, the administrator, immigration staff, soldiers and armed police are collecting the population census,” the residents said.
“Since yesterday, population censuses have been collected in the city and in the villages near the city. We are ready to attack,” a PDF official of Thaton District said.
An activist in Thaton said that “there was no attack on non-CDMs under the SAC, but anyone who is working together for the SAC election must be classified as an enemy of the people and will be annihilated”.
On 9 January, U Lwin Ko Lat, Union Minister of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration under the NUG issued a statement that people who are collecting the population census for the election will be severely prosecuted under the Anti-Terrorism Act”.
“I don’t know about other places. In Thaton and Kyaikto, there are people who complain that the people from Immigration Department who are going to collect the population census will only collect it only in the city, and they cannot go down to the village to collect census. They are afraid of being shot when they go down to the village and collect the census. Not people from Immigration Department but the police who are providing security are also afraid,” a person close to the police in Thathon city said.
A resident in Kaw San Naing Ward in Kyaikto Township said that people from Immigration Department as well as other Departmental staff were asked to collect a population census, but no one wanted to do it.
At 11:00 a.m on 9 January, people who are collecting census, accompanied by soldiers and police in Kotinywa village and Boragyiywa village in Kyaikto Township, went door-to-door and collected the population census as well as checked the phone,” KIT reporting local revolution news reported.
“Yesterday, I think it was in Longlon. PDF attacked collecting the population census. Even though the PDFs did not attack plainclothes personnel, they chose only soldiers. They also warned that they would attack for all of them next time. We also need to attack them for an example,” a resident in Min Road in Thatong said.
The Dawei Guerrilla Revolutionary Foce-DGRF announced that a group that was collecting population census in Long Lon Township in Tanintharyi Region was attacked on 9 January, and a soldier was killed and a gun was seized.