The Deputy Home Minster of Burma’s military government, Brig-Gen Phone Swe
visited the western border town of Maungdaw in Arakan State on Sunday to
organize people to cast “yes” votes in the referendum, said a government
official who refused to be named.

He said, “He came to Maungdaw yesterday and held a meeting with many
members from local village administrative councils at Thri Radana hall in
Maungdaw for the upcoming referendum.”

The meeting began at 8:30 am and finished at 11:00 am, with about 750
people, including many village chairmen and clerks in attendance. The
deputy minister asked the village chairmen during the meeting if there
were any villages or people in Maungdaw Township who were against the
referendum.

“All village chairmen replied to him that there were no villages or people
against the referendum when he asked us if there were,” said the official.

At the meeting, Deputy Home Minister Phone Swe also told the village
chairmen that he is ready to go to the villages to organize people if any
village has a plan to oppose the referendum.

The visit of the deputy home minister to Maungdaw was conducted by high
authorities after information has been spreading that Arakanese people
will be boycotting the referendum by refusing to go to the polls.

The Deputy Home Minister will reportedly visit another two towns in
Buthidaung and Rathidaung to organize people for referendum after leaving
Maungdaw.