RANGOON — An opposition party lawmaker’s office in Naypyidaw was broken into this week, but the targeted parliamentarian said the would-be burglars do not appear to have made off with anything inside.
Sandar Min, a Lower House representative for the National League for Democracy (NLD), said the offender shattered a glass window pane to gain entrance to her Zabuthiri Township office and appears to have searched the premises, but did not steal anything. The lawmaker said she notified police immediately after students from one of the NLD’s free-education schools, which shares the same building as her office, noticed the broken glass.
“We were in Rangoon for campaign preparations. On Wednesday night, we were informed about the break-in,” she said.
Sandar Min, who won a Lower House Seat in Zabuthiri Township in Burma’s 2012 by-election, will contest the Nov. 8 general election in Rangoon Division’s Seikgyikanaungto Township, this time eyeing a seat in the regional parliament.
President Thein Sein, running for the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), won the Zabuthiri seat in the country’s 2010 general election before being elected to the presidency, vacating the constituency.
Sandar Min said township police arrived to the scene on Wednesday night and returned on Thursday, opening a criminal case under Article 453 of the Penal Code, which covers breaking and entering.
“It was two years ago that we opened the office there. Until now, there had been no theft at the office, nor in the surrounding area. But happening now as the election draws near, we have our suspicions about this case,” she said, referring to a possible political motive behind the break-in.
Sandar Min said she was surprised that nothing was taken, noting that several items of value had been passed over by the offending party.
The break-in comes less than a week before the official start of the general election campaign season on Sept. 8.
