Police are preparing a comprehensive security blanket in advance of the November 8 election. Training is about to begin for more than 40,000 special police officers drafted nationwide to supplement the regular force during elections, while there is also a provision for calling the military to be prepared if need be.
Deputy head of the Nay Pyi Taw Police Colonel Zaw Khin Aung told a security briefing on October 3 that training for the raw recruits assigned to guard electoral operations in the capital zone would be conducted from October 10 to 20.
“We will rely on cooperation to solve problems in the first instance,” director general U Zaw Win said. An estimated 20 percent of the special officers are university graduates, he added.
Qualifications for the temporary constables were not particularly high, with the police requesting Myanmar citizens in good health, between 18 and 60 years old, who held a high school diploma and a clean record.
But concerns have been expressed that the criteria for selecting the trainee special officers, who will be paid K150,000 (US$115) for their service, are being applied with great flexibility, especially with regards to education.
Election monitors, political parties and researchers have all called for more transparency in the election security process. Police have been loath to release much information about the special detail, including what exactly the unarmed recruits will be tasked to do, what the protocol will be in case of a conflict, and where the money to pay the 40,000 additional salaries is coming from.
Pol Col Zaw Khin Aung said because of budgetary restrictions, the duration of the election monitoring force has been slashed – officers will serve for only one month instead of the three months originally envisaged. At least one fresh recruit, who is supposed to be from the local area, will still ideally be posted to each of the polling stations for the full three months.
Pol Col Zaw Khin Aung also eked out additional details about how the special unit will coordinate with full-time police in cases of a security breach.
“For security level one, the special officers will be deployed with local police. At level two, emergency, we can call on additional forces from the region and district level. Reserves also exist for high-security level three urgent cases, and we can also call in the Tatmadaw if necessary,” he said.
“Any suspected [problem] areas will be covered by additional security, including patrols, plain-clothes and fixed points,” he added. “Bus and railway stations, airports and harbours will be watched. There will be surveillance of any suspicious occurrence in monasteries and religious buildings, hotels, motels, and guest houses. Vehicle patrols will have the power to stop and search. Overnight guest lists will be checked. Neighbourhood watch committees will be on the alert in every village, and the movements of migrant workers will be noted.”
In the eight townships of the Nay Pyi Taw Council area, 33 Pyithu Hluttaw candidates will be competing. A further 10 Amyotha Hluttaw candidates are running in two districts, and the 10 constituencies will be served by 553 ward and village polling stations and 61 military polling stations. One officer will be assigned to each station.
There are 617,863 registered voters among the 1,160,242 residents of Nay Pyi Taw’s 10 constituencies.
Translation by Emoon
