In an absurd move, the Burmese Post and Telecommunication Department has handed out a contract to sell the allotted Global Service for Mobile communication telephones, (GSM phones) to businessmen in Burma's northern Kachin state.
Local residents, who have applied for a GSM telephone said the government has allotted 1,000 GSM phones for Bamaw, Mo Nyin, Mo Kaung and Hopin towns. But the authorities are giving the businessmen from each town the contract to sell it. It was almost impossible for them to receive the phones, they added.
If we get the GSM phones directly from the government, the cost is about 1.7 million (USD 1300). But now that the contract has been given to businessmen, they are selling it at their own rates. It is now costing about 1.9 million kyat (USD 1460). So people who don't get the phone are complaining," said a local resident who applied for a GSM phone at the Myanmar Post and Telecommunication department.
Residents said, out of the 1,000 GSM phones allotted for the four townships, 500 have been taken by the local army units. And with another 100 reserved for government employees, only 400 at the ratio of 100 each per township have been allotted.
Burma, which is notorious for its tight control over communication and information flow, has periodically allotted telephone lines. Due to poor communication infrastructure, Burmese people have to wait for their turn to obtain telephone communication or have to pay hefty sums of money to get a connection.
The price for the allotted GSM telephones in Kachin state have risen to 1.9 million Kyat and will be activated on January 10, 2008, local residents said.
