Junta distributes propaganda leaflets against opposition in Mrauk-U

By DMG 03 May 2022

DMG Newsroom
3 May 2022, Mrauk_U 

Myanmar’s military regime distributed propaganda leaflets against the parallel National Unity Government (NUG) to passers-by on Tuesday morning in Mrauk-U Township, Arakan State. 

About 40 junta soldiers, police, firefighters, ward and township administrative personnel and municipal officials were involved in distributing propaganda leaflets against the NUG and its armed wing, the People’s Defence Force (PDF), at a junction near Lawkamu ward in Mrauk-U, according to U Kyaw Maung Gyi, the administrator of Lawkamu ward. 

“All the passers-by, including motorbikes and vehicles, were stopped and each was given a leaflet that urged people not to believe misinformation [allegedly] spread by news agencies. Traffic police also distributed leaflets about traffic rules to each. This is the first time such leaflets were distributed,” he told DMG. 

The leaflets — a copy of which was seen by DMG with the heading “Political opportunists and state-destroying, lying media create fake reports and fabrications about fighting in order to deceive people into making donations” — claim that some local news agencies are spreading misinformation to earn US dollars. 

“A military officer said media agencies are writing propaganda pieces and misleading reports, and told us not to believe those reports,” said a government employee who did not want to be named. “He said they are distributing leaflets because media agencies are misleading the people into thinking that the Arakan Army is at odds with the government [military regime], and that media agencies have also called for providing greater support to the NUG and the PDF.” 

The leaflets also accuse media outlets of fomenting anti-military sentiment and distorting figures about junta casualties and attacks against regime soldiers “in order to impress people” and give the impression that PDF groups are besting military forces on the battlefield, while downplaying the said PDFs’ casualties. The propaganda pamphlets also urged people not to believe fake news and misinformation on social media. 

Security personnel also checked the licences of vehicles and motorbikes while distributing the leaflets, said U Kyaw Kyaw, a driver for a Kyauktaw to Mrauk-U bus line. 

“They gave me two leaflets. And traffic police checked vehicle and motorbike licences. I was worried because there were police and armed soldiers. Some took other routes to avoid them,” he said. 

Some locals said it was pointless to distribute propaganda leaflets in a place where there is no appreciable allegiance to the NUG or its affiliated PDFs.