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Villagers forced to foot bill for concert in Mudon Township
Wed 04 Feb 2009,
Arka
Residents of Mudon Township are being forced to pay for a concert in Mudon Town, say local residents, regardless of whether they wish to attend.
According to orders issued by the Township Peace and Development Council (PDC), each village is being allotted blocks of tickets for which it must pay. Slow ticket sales, in turn, mean that the ticket expenses are simply being divided amongst households.
Most villages are being required to contribute 200,000 to 300,000 said villagers who spoke with IMNA, with most households each paying 300 to 500 kyat. In Taung-pa, residents report paying 1,000 kyat.
Tickets are also being sold by civilian organizations affiliated with the Burmese government, including the Union Solidarity and Development Association and the Myanmar Women's Affair's Federation.
In addition to the communally shared ticket costs, drivers caught without helmets or licenses are being forced to purchase full tickets, as are vendors of 3-digit lottery tickets. Each ticket costs 5,000 or 7,000 kyat depending on seat quality, though there are a few special seats being sold for 10,000 kyat.
"In our village, they are selling the ticket for 5,000 and 7,000 kyat, depending on where you want to sit. But no one is buying a ticket because no one wants to go to Mudon Town because it is far away. That's why the VPDC asks for 300 kyat from each house," said a resident of Yaung doung village.
Villagers quoted in a recent report by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), meanwhile, say they cannot afford to have anything to do with the concert. "No one wants to buy the tickets because now we have a very difficult time finding money," said a villager quoted by HURFOM. "Many of us do not want to buy it because we do not have food for a meal. Where can we get the money for a ticket?"
Mon State's economy has taken a serious downturn as the values of its two primary products – rubber and paddy – plummet. Rubber prices are currently down 75% from 2008, with paddy prices down 25%.
In spite of the tough economic times, according to a Village PDC leader who attended a Township PDC meeting called to discuss the concert, the Township PDC head has announced he aims to earn 10 million kyat.
IMNA could not confirm the cost of putting on the concert, which will feature popular Burmese language singer R Zarr Ni. But the Village PDC source said the he and other PDC officials believe the funds will be used for the 2010 election.
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