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HomeUncategorizedMagwe NLD members stopped from travelling

Magwe NLD members stopped from travelling

Feb 8, 2008 (DVB), Local authorities in Magwe division tried to prevent six National League for Democracy members from travelling to Yay Nan Chaung for a religious ceremony on 4 February.

Dr Aung Moe Nyo, an NLD member and people's parliament representative from Pwint Phyu township, was travelling with Saku township NLD member Ko Nay Myo Kyaw and four other NLD members to Yay Nan Chaung to attend a Buddhist ordination ceremony.

But Nay Myo Kyaw said that the group faced harassment from the authorities when they tried to cross the river to get to Yay Nan Chaung.

"When we arrived at the jetty, Kone Saung police chief U Sein Win, district special police officer Ko Myint Thu and his informer Ko San Wai were there and they made the boatmen to sign an agreement promising not to take NLD members across the river," Nay Myo Kyaw said.

"They told the boatmen that if they violated the agreement that would face legal sanctions," he said.

After they were refused passage at the first jetty, the group walked along the road to other villages to try to find a boat, but at each jetty the boatmen had been warned not to take them.

At one village they found a boatman who agreed to take them, but when they were half-way across the river the officials came and called the boat back to shore.

The group eventually managed to find a boatwoman who agreed to ferry them across to Yay Nan Chaung, but the boatwoman and her two family members were then arrested at 10am on 5 February and taken to Salin police station.

According to a Salin township NLD member, speaking on condition of anonymity, the boatwoman and her two family members were detained overnight at the police station and released yesterday.

Dr Aung Moe Nyo and five other NLD members previously faced harassment from the authorities when they tried to travel to Yay Nan Chaung for independence day celebrations.

The group was detained on 2 January to prevent them attending the event, and the jetty was closed all day on 3 January to stop any other NLD members from crossing the river.

Dr Aung Moe Nyo claimed that while in detention he overheard Peace and Development Council chairman U Hla Htay instructing the police official interrogating the group to keep the pressure on them and to use harsher means to prevent them from attending the celebrations.

Reporting by Aye Nai and Naw Say Phaw

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