Mizzima News

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Burmese military junta supremo Snr. Gen. Than Shwe’s grandson will participate in the water festival with common people and plans to host a pandal in Rangoon’s Innlya Street, sources said.

Pho La Pyea, Than Shwe’s grandson, and friends were said to have built a pandal opposite Rangoon’s University of Economics on Innlay Street, where most of the pandals for the festival are to be located.

Pre-dominantly Buddhist Burma, traditionally celebrates the water festival as a symbol of cleansing the past year’s sins with water as they usher in the New Year. Buddhists in Burma also believe that during the Water Festival – Thingyan – ‘Lord Thigyamin’ himself descends on earth.

Most Buddhists in Burma, during the Thingyan, enjoy themselves by spraying water on each other and go from place to place within the city accompanied by friends.

The 20-year-old Pho La Pyea, a student at the Hlaing Tharyar Technology University, reportedly enjoys the water festival and is excited about hosting a pandal, where people can come and spray water.

During last year’s water festival, sources said, Phyo La Pyea was using ecstasy pills - Yaba – which were said to be distributed from the pandal hosted by a junta’s business crony, Maung Weik.

Than Shwe, according to the source, was enraged on learning that his grandson was using pills and drugs to entertain himself. He ordered an investigation on Maung Weik, who was subsequently arrested.

Maung Weik has been charged and sentenced. He was transferred to Pathein prison from the notorious Insein jail.