Silent strike grips Sagaing’s Kalay as public boycotts military’s staged election

Mizzima

Despite the opening of polling stations in Kalay Township in Sagaing on Sunday, the town was marked by an atmosphere of profound defiance, with residents describing the scene as a self-organized “silent strike.” Streets in the typically bustling township remained unusually quiet, with minimal traffic at major intersections as Phase One of the military junta’s election process got underway.

Local residents and witnesses who toured the town reported that polling stations set up at prominent sites including Aung Zeya High School and Saint Mary High School, saw only a sparse trickle of voters.

Photographs obtained from the area showed major thoroughfares such as Bogyoke Road and Tahan Ward nearly deserted. At the local Meekhwat Market, many vendors chose not to open their stalls, while those who did shuttered their businesses early.

“The town was as quiet as during the silent strike period. Traffic was minimal, and even normally busy intersections were almost empty. This time, it was not a strike called by revolutionary or strike groups, but a silent strike carried out consciously by the people themselves,” a Kalay resident who requested anonymity told Mizzima.