KNG - A seemingly grateful Burmese ruling junta rewarded students of the Nursing and Midwife School with a token amount of money and bread in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, northern Burma yesterday, said school sources.
Sources close to the school said, all students were given 500 Kyat and a piece of bread for supporting the referendum to approve the draft constitution on May 10 by U Dai Hu, the head organizer of the junta-sponsored Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) in Du Kahtawng quarter where the school is situated.
The National Registration Cards and Family Unit documents were taken away by the Quarter Administrative Office (Ya-Ya-Ka) of Du Kahtawng before the day of the referendum and all students' votes were collected as 'Yes' ballots without their going to the polling booths, sources close to the students said.
The school has over 150 students including students from Kachin ceasefire groups --- the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), sources added.
The local vote commission also got 100 percent 'Yes' votes from the students in the Education College, former Teacher Training School (TTS) in Du Kahtawng where over 400 students are studying, school sources said.
During last Saturday's referendum in Myitkyina Township, the vote commissions counted the ballots in secrecy in some polling booths with the help of USDA members and converted many 'No' ballots to 'Yes' votes, voters told KNG.
A student referendum watch group based in Myitkyina told KNG, 10 of 8 voters in the polling booths in the township cast 'No' votes.
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