The combined forces of the Burmese Army and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have seized control of the annual Deik Htan Aung pagoda festival in Myawaddy,
Vehicle Drivers forced to by concert tickets in Myawaddy
Fri 06 Nov 2009, Asah
The combined forces of the Burmese Army and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have seized control of the annual Deik Htan Aung pagoda festival in Myawaddy, and have compelled vehicle drivers in the city to purchase tickets to the event’s November 8th concert, which kicks off the festival.
According to a Burmese orange merchant from Myawaddy, private vehicle owners and trade-goods truck drivers alike have been obliged to buy concert tickets, to the tune of 8000 kyat each. Myawaddy sits on the Thailand-Burma border, and is a major port for traders and travelers driving back into Burma.
“The authorities began forcing the car owners and traders [to buy tickets] one month ago. They sold one ticket to each car owner. The tickets cost 8000 kyat. And the authorities sold the tickets at the toll-gate at the bottom of the mountain road [that leads into Burma]. We had no choice so we bought them. Now the tickets are all sold, because they forced every trader and car owner driving back into Burma to buy them. On average, 200 cars go back into Burma from Myawaddy every day,” he told IMNA.
A Myawaddy resident with close ties to the local Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) told IMNA that despite being forced to buy tickets to the concert (which will feature performances by Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein and other famous Burmese singers), most of the vehicle owners involved are unable to attend, and are selling their tickets to Mayawaddy residents at prices dramatically lower than their original purchase cost. “A car owner sold his ticket to me for very cheap. The original cost of a ticket was 8000 kyat, he sold me his for 3000 kyat because he has no time to watch the show. And they will lose the whole price of the ticket if they don’t sell the tickets to the residents for very cheap, so that is a good way. And it’s very good for Mayawaddy residents,” he added.
Normally, the pagoda trustees run the concert held at the Deik Htan Aung Pagoda festival in Myawaddy; performers from Rangoon are hired for the night’s entertainment. The event is a means to raise money for the monastery’s sundry matters fund, which encompasses food, clothing, and other daily essentials needed by the monks at the pagoda. After the Burmese Army and DKBA’s takeover of this year’s concert, attendees have been dismayed to learn that this year’s concert will be standing-room only, a change from previous years’ events. It is unclear if the change of festival leadership will have any ill-effects on the monks’ essentials fund.
