The military junta summoned business owners in Mandalay and pressured them to take part in this year’s Thingyan water festival celebrating the Theravada Buddhist New Year from 13 to 15 April, according to business owners.

The Water Festival is held to celebrate the traditional New Year in South East Asian countries that practice Theravada Buddhism. In Thailand, it is called Songkran, in Myanmar Thingyan and in Laos Pi Mai.

A brewery manager who wished to remain anonymous said: “Some major businessmen were summoned informally. But, I wasn’t called upon. As far as I am aware, the authorities issued an order for the business owners to take part in the Mandalay Thingyan festival. The military junta wants to make this year’s water festival happen.”

He added that medium-sized business owners are now worried that they will also be summoned and forced by the military junta to participate in the Water Festival.

The military junta is planning to have big celebrations and on 18 March they held a meeting in Mandalay to discuss those celebrations.

“They [the military junta] will put pressure on businessmen to make the festival a success no matter what,” a businessman said.

Since the previous military dictatorship, the Mandalay Thingyan celebrations have had a reputation for being organized in a very business-like way.