A high-ranking member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in southern Shan State has left the party and joined the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD). His resignation prompted about a hundred other NLD members to leave the party.

Sai Htun Htun Oo’s move comes less than a week ahead of an April 1 by-election in his constituency.

Sai Htun Htun Oo was a leading figure in the NLD in Mong Hsu Township, where he was listed as a candidate during the 2015 general election. However, his name was not on the NLD list for the upcoming by-election, which may suggest the reason for his resignation.

According to Sai Myo Sein, a prominent SNLD member in Mong Hsu, the SNLD held a welcoming party for Sai Htun Htun Oo on March 15.

“On March 15, we held a welcome party and presented him with an SNLD member card,” he said.

Following the resignation of Sai Htun Htun Oo, about 100 NLD members, mostly ethnic Shan persons, also quit the party in Mong Hsu Township.

Shan Herald has learnt that some local members are attributing the desertion to problems the NLD has been dealing with during its campaign for seats in Mong Hsu, where polls were cancelled at the last general election due to security concerns.

One of the main issues has reportedly been the NLD candidates’ inability to communicate with the local voters in Shan language.

The NLD won a landslide victory across the country at the November 2015 election. However, it was only the third largest party in the Shan State Assembly, where the SNLD (also known as the ‘Tiger Head Party’) came in second to the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)