NLD members cancel trip to China

At the invitation of China, some representatives from the National League for Democracy were planning to visit China for nine days this month.

“We have cancelled the trip. The reason is that we don’t have time. But we mean the visit has been postponed. We will consider it later,” said Nyan Win.

Phyo Zeyar Thaw, a parliamentarian and parliamentary affairs spokesperson for NLD leader Suu Kyi, also confirmed that she would not make a China trip this month.

Member of the NLD’s central committee for election victory Sharmee, who was selected to be a member of the delegation, said: “The trip has been called off. We planned a 20-member delegation.”

China always defended the former military junta on the world stage, taking more economic opportunities than any other country in Myanmar.

The Chinese government now has come into contact with other political parities including the NLD and civic organisations as Myanmar has improved ties with the US, UK and European countries since President Thein Sein’s government took office.

Some NLD members have paid several visits to China at the invitation of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

The NLD is expected to win a landslide victory in the upcoming election this year.

The leading opposition party in Myanmar, formed in 1988, won the 1990 election in 392 out of 492 constituencies across the country, but the elections results were denied by the then military government.

The NLD boycotted the 2010 election and joined the 2012 by-election.The party won the by-election in 43 out 45 constituencies.

Union Election Commission chairman Tin Aye said the election date would be announced before August.

The NLD also said its election declaration would be issued after the election date announcement.

 

Election education

Programmes to educate voters in Yangon Region will commence in the middle of March under the guidance of election monitoring organisations.

Local civic organisations in Yangon Region met for the first time on March 3 to discuss the implementation of the programmes in ten townships. 

“The authorities in Yangon Region and in 10 townships that collected data for voting said they are ready to announce the voter lists. They informed civic and social organizations like us. We will work from March 16 to 29. From March 30, before water festival, the lists of eligible voters will be displayed. Then, we will discuss how to educate the people in cooperation with the authorities,” said Chan Lyan from the Horn Bill organisation, an election monitoring group.

The nationwide survey of eligible votersbegan in September 2014. The government aims to finish compiling the nationwide voter listby August 2015, according to the Union Election Commission.

The first stage of compiling the eligible voter list for Yangon Region was completed in ten townships. The second stage will cover 14 townships and surveys of the remaining townships will begin at the end of March.

The ten townships that will host voter education programmes are Dagon Seikkan, Dagon, Latha, Botahtaung, lanmadaw, Dawbon, Seikgyi-Khanaungto, Kamayut, Kyauktada and Pazuntaungtowhsips.