YANGON, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Three candidates from Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) were abducted by an armed group during a campaigning activity for the upcoming general elections in Taungup township of Rakhine state on Wednesday, a military spokesperson told Xinhua.
"Based on the testimonies by members of security forces and witnesses, three party representatives and helmsmen were seized by five men who were holding arms, assumed to be owned by the Arakan Army (AA)," Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, secretary of the Military True News Information Team, said.
While heading towards Phaung Kha village for the election campaign, the representatives were taken by a vessel to an island located on the other side of the village, Monywa Aung Shin of NLD's Central Information Committee told Xinhua.
"The armed group is being assumed as AA armed group because only their group is active in that area. We haven't heard anything from the abducted candidates," Aung Shin said.
The 60-day election campaign season has begun since early September, with participation of candidates from political parties who will vie for seats at three levels of the parliament in the upcoming election which is scheduled to be held on Nov. 8 this year.
The ruling NLD party won an absolute majority of parliamentary seats in the last general elections on Nov. 8, 2015 and has run the government since 2016. Enditem
