Four well-known druglords in Burma, who represented the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), are among those selected on the 7 November elections, according to sources in Shan State North.
Two of them, Liu Guoxi, candidate of USDP who ran for a seat in upper house at Northern Shan State’s Constituency No.11 and Bai Xuoqian, a candidate for state legislature in Laogai Constituency No.2 won their seats automatically as there were no rivals in their areas, a source from the Sino-Burma border said.
Liu Guoxi, 75, was dubbed as a drug kingpin in the Far Eastern Economic Review during the mid 90’s. He is deputy of Bai Xuoqian, who ascended to the leadership of Kokang, following the overthrow of his predecessor Peng Jiasheng by the Burma Army last year.
The other two are U Kyaw Myint and U Keng Mai, the junta-backed local militia chiefs, who are notorious among local people as drug dealers in Shan State North’s Muse and Namkham townships.
U Kengmai, 50, is chief of 200-strong Mongpaw militia unit in Muse, who has been “elected” for the State legislature in Muse Constituency No.2.
According to local election watchers and voters, Kengmai won the seat with the help of the local election commissions and local authorities.
“Election commissions were helping villagers to tick the ballot papers on the excuse that they were illiterate. But they just marked in the USDP box,” a local villager who was assigned to take in charge of polling booths in Constituency No.2 said.
“In addition, there were dozens of villagers that voted two times and some voted three times because village headmen themselves were holding extra ballot papers outside the polling booths and distributed again and again,” said another official that was in charge of the booth who asked to be anonymous. “When I told the village headman that all legitimate voters had voted, he replied he had been instructed to get as many votes as he could.”
Another one Kyaw Myint aka Li Yongqiang, 51, well-known Panhsay militia chief from Namkham, who ran for a seat in state legislature in Namkham constituency No.2 was reported to have beaten his Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) rival with advance votes plus and the votes from his controlled areas, local sources reported.
“Before the ballot boxes from Kyaw Myint’s controlled areas arrived, SNDP candidate Sai Saw Hla already got over 8,000 and Kyaw Myint 3,600 plus and Taang (Palaung) National Party 3,500 on the elections day. But later we heard that Kyaw Myint had won by some 600 votes over his SNDP rival after 20 ballot boxes coming from the hills were counted,” a local villager said.
The SNDP member speaking to SHAN claimed the ballot boxes from Kyaw Myint’s arrived on the next day at night time, one day after the elections.
“There was no ballot papers inside the ballot boxes, but the election commission (EC) said the votes had already been counted. The results were informed to us through phone messages telling us Kyaw Myint got 600 more votes than us.”
“We have yet to sign for confirmation of the results until we are allowed to check the voters list. We are now preparing to lodge a complaint to the Union Election Commission,” he said.
There are only two main parties that contested in Muse and Namkham, the SNDP and USDP.
Both U Kengmai and Kyaw Myint were representatives at the junta-organized National Convent (NC), in the national races category.
Kyaw Myint is known more for his drug business. Yongyang Casino on the Mao-Shweli River near Muse is owned by him. Many ferry crossings on the Mao-Ruili river that serves as a boundary between China and Burma are guarded by Kyaw Htwe aka Li Yongping, younger brother of Kyaw Myint, who enjoys close relations with former regional commander Myint Hlaing. His men tax the wayfarers and also reportedly traffics in drugs.
Source:http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3297:burmas-druglords-become-lawmakers-&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
Two of them, Liu Guoxi, candidate of USDP who ran for a seat in upper house at Northern Shan State’s Constituency No.11 and Bai Xuoqian, a candidate for state legislature in Laogai Constituency No.2 won their seats automatically as there were no rivals in their areas, a source from the Sino-Burma border said.
Liu Guoxi, 75, was dubbed as a drug kingpin in the Far Eastern Economic Review during the mid 90’s. He is deputy of Bai Xuoqian, who ascended to the leadership of Kokang, following the overthrow of his predecessor Peng Jiasheng by the Burma Army last year.
The other two are U Kyaw Myint and U Keng Mai, the junta-backed local militia chiefs, who are notorious among local people as drug dealers in Shan State North’s Muse and Namkham townships.
U Kengmai, 50, is chief of 200-strong Mongpaw militia unit in Muse, who has been “elected” for the State legislature in Muse Constituency No.2.
According to local election watchers and voters, Kengmai won the seat with the help of the local election commissions and local authorities.
“Election commissions were helping villagers to tick the ballot papers on the excuse that they were illiterate. But they just marked in the USDP box,” a local villager who was assigned to take in charge of polling booths in Constituency No.2 said.
“In addition, there were dozens of villagers that voted two times and some voted three times because village headmen themselves were holding extra ballot papers outside the polling booths and distributed again and again,” said another official that was in charge of the booth who asked to be anonymous. “When I told the village headman that all legitimate voters had voted, he replied he had been instructed to get as many votes as he could.”
Another one Kyaw Myint aka Li Yongqiang, 51, well-known Panhsay militia chief from Namkham, who ran for a seat in state legislature in Namkham constituency No.2 was reported to have beaten his Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) rival with advance votes plus and the votes from his controlled areas, local sources reported.
“Before the ballot boxes from Kyaw Myint’s controlled areas arrived, SNDP candidate Sai Saw Hla already got over 8,000 and Kyaw Myint 3,600 plus and Taang (Palaung) National Party 3,500 on the elections day. But later we heard that Kyaw Myint had won by some 600 votes over his SNDP rival after 20 ballot boxes coming from the hills were counted,” a local villager said.
The SNDP member speaking to SHAN claimed the ballot boxes from Kyaw Myint’s arrived on the next day at night time, one day after the elections.
“There was no ballot papers inside the ballot boxes, but the election commission (EC) said the votes had already been counted. The results were informed to us through phone messages telling us Kyaw Myint got 600 more votes than us.”
“We have yet to sign for confirmation of the results until we are allowed to check the voters list. We are now preparing to lodge a complaint to the Union Election Commission,” he said.
There are only two main parties that contested in Muse and Namkham, the SNDP and USDP.
Both U Kengmai and Kyaw Myint were representatives at the junta-organized National Convent (NC), in the national races category.
Kyaw Myint is known more for his drug business. Yongyang Casino on the Mao-Shweli River near Muse is owned by him. Many ferry crossings on the Mao-Ruili river that serves as a boundary between China and Burma are guarded by Kyaw Htwe aka Li Yongping, younger brother of Kyaw Myint, who enjoys close relations with former regional commander Myint Hlaing. His men tax the wayfarers and also reportedly traffics in drugs.
Source:http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3297:burmas-druglords-become-lawmakers-&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
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