Independent
Mon News Agency (IMNA)
Artillery Regiment No. 318 forced the local headmen in
fund raising plan
Artillery Regiment No. 318 that deploys in Mudon Township of Mon State has forced the local village
headmen in surrounding area near their base to involve in battalion’s fund
raising to sell tickets for a concert.
Under
the SPDC’s self-reliance policy, AR No. 318 was
instructed to do any fund raising to cover all food
expenses for soldiers in the battalion. AR No. 318 was deployed by
the Burmese Army’s Southeast Command last year and confiscated a lot of Mon
civilians’ lands near Abit village,
AR
No. 318 did not confiscate paddy-cultivated lands or paddy from farmers to get
available food in battalion but plans to stage the local traditional Burmese
concert and forced the village headmen to sell tickets. Each
village has to take responsibility to sell 150,000 Kyat worth of tickets.
Prior
to selling the tickets the village headmen already has to pay the battalion
commander the set amount of money, 150, 000 Kyat.
A
local village headman said, “we cannot know whether we can sell the tickets or
not, but the commanders already took money from us before really selling
tickets.”
“The
battalion does not put which days the concert will take place, so how the
people or watchers buy the tickets”, added by that disappointed headmen.
First
round of concert held in a village nearby, Kalort-tort,
and the regiment commander Col. Kyaw Ywa Myint beat three villagers in
concert ground without any reason.
Currently
the AR No. 318 does not say how many concerts they would hold and where is the second round concert will be taken place.
Aggressive
AR No. 318 commander Kyaw Ywa
Myint regularly abuses the community ceremony.
He disturbed a Mon music band after he drunk in a pagoda ceremony in northern
part of
Most
villagers near the base are also frighten the battalion commander and most
villagers would not like to enjoy in army arranged concert.