Water Festival benefits Junta Chief’s grandson

by Myint Maung

Tuesday, 07 April 2009 23:04

New Delhi (Mizzima) – The grandson of Burmese junta Supremo Senior Gen. Than Shwe is reportedly making money by reselling municipal permits issued by the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), for hosting pandals for the upcoming water festival. Pho La Pyea, who has received ten permits for building pandals, will reported host two to be located on Rangoon’s Prome Road near Inya Lake, opposite the Institute of Economics, but will eight others at Kyat 3.8 million (USD 2,900) each. "Pho La Pyea got building permits for 10 mandaps (pandals). He will host two of them. But the remaining eight are being sold," a youth, who is a close associate of revelers and will visit the mandaps along that road said. "Most of these permits are bagged by close associates of generals. Youths say that the son of Maj. Gen. Tin Aung Myint Oo could not get mandaps at good locations because Pho La Pyea took all of them," he added. While traditional water festival in Buddhist dominated Burma is held as a celebration to welcome the New Year, it has long been commercialised by hosting pandals, where the host earns from people who comes and play with water. People who wished to host pandals have to seek building permit and share the cost among them. The price of these permits usually varies from location to location. The latest issue of 'The Voice' weekly reported that YCDC Chairman Brig. Gen. Aung Thein Lin told local journalists at a press briefing held on March 25 that they would not allow building large mandaps on Inya Road and University Avenue. They would permit medium and small size mandaps only. But the weekly did not say what the reason behind this restriction was. It is learnt that the civic body decides on the size of these mandaps. Large mandaps are for over 50 feet in length, the medium ones are between 25 feet and 50 feet and the small ones are below 25 feet. The deposit for using pedestrian platforms on these two roads are Kyat 50,000. As for other locations, the fees are Kyat 30,000 for large sized mandaps, Kyat 20,000 for medium ones and Kyat 10,000 for small ones. They have to sign a bond to pay fine and all expenses for repairs if these platforms are damaged during the festival. The YCDC Engineering Department (Road and Bridges) said that there will be 50 mandaps on Inya Road, 24 mandaps on University Avenue and 228 mandaps in other locations during last year’s festival. The 20 year old Pho La Pyea is studying in Hlaingtharya Technical College. Last year Snr. Gen. Than Shwe was outraged after hearing that his grandson Pho La Pyea had 'Yaba' ecstasy drugs distributed by business tycoon Maung Weik who had a close rapport with the regime. He ordered busting of the drug trafficking gang operating among the affluent youth in Rangoon. During the operation, Maung Weik was arrested and he is now serving time in Pathein prison in Irrawaddy Division. < Prev   Next >