Rathidaung: Special police in Rathidaung, 20 miles north of Sittwe, have taken photographs of family members of elected National League for Democracy MP Maung Krun Aung, said one family member.

"A special police team from Rathidaung police station came to our village along with our village chairman on 16 December 2009 and took photographs of us, but we did not know the reason behind taking the photos," he said.

U Maung Krun Aung is from Min Gan Chaung Village in a remote area of southern Rathidaung Township, but he is currently living in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, along with his daughter's family.

"I asked the police inspector the reason for taking photos of our family but he told us he did not know. He told us that it was on instruction of the high authority from Naypyidaw," he said.

A police team has taken photographs of all family members of U Maung Krun Aung, including his brother-in-law U Maung Hla and his three sisters.

U Maung Krun Aung was elected in the Rathidaung constituency for the NLD in the 1990 election, which the NLD won in a landslide. The military authority refused to transfer power to the democratically elected party.

Since then, the military authority has attempted to force U Maung Krun Aung to resign from the NLD but he has not bowed to pressure. The authorities subsequently targeted his business and blacklisted and harassed him in Rathidaung.

Because of this, U Maung Krun Aung left Rathidaung for Sittwe in 2000 to escape the authorities' harassment.

A political analyst from Sittwe said, "I think the 2010 election is very close, so the authority has plans to control not only NLD members but also their relatives during the election period. The authority may force the family members of the NLD to cast votes for the government sponsored party in the 2010 election."

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