Chapel controversy in Kwey Wan Village

February 13, 2013

HURFOM: In 1993, residents contributed their own savings to build a Buddhist chapel in Kwey Wan, a village of about 1,000 households located in Mudon Township of Burma’s southern Mon State. The center has since been used for Mon language classes in summer and as a hub for community activities and prayer throughout the year. It came as no surprise last month then, when Village Administrator U Soe Naing proposed converting the chapel into his administrative office, that the announcement was met with immediate disapproval.“This chapel was built using our own villagers’ money. So if [U Soe Naing] is trying to make it into his office, we won’t stand for it,” said a woman from the village youth organization.

In response to the administrator’s statement, villagers submitted a letter to township-level authorities asking that U Soe Naing, 43, be removed from his position. Residents received notice that a decision will be handed down before the end of this month upholding or overruling their request.

Even before the current controversy, U Soe Naing reportedly fell from favor in the community for allegations of corruption. According to residents, he instituted a plan collecting taxes from shops near the local school to re-invest in school supplies, but the materials never arrived. Local people asked for receipts proving how and where the money was spent, but said they were disregarded. Similarly, the administrator rented energy meters to villagers for 600,000 kyat per household, but residents later discovered that the actual price paid to the energy company was much lower. In both cases, locals suspected that U Soe Naing kept the revenue for himself.

Additionally, U Soe Naing was accused of selling temple land to build a transmitter tower for GSM mobile phones. Monks and villagers both claimed to be unaware of the transaction until construction began, and locals say the monks were simply given SIM cards in exchange for the land.

U Soe Naing has served in his current role for 8 years, but Kwey Wan residents expected him to be replaced after new laws granted local communities greater authority when selecting their leaders. However, he recaptured public approval at the last moment before a recent election by allegedly promising free electricity throughout the village. He won the seat, and local people say they continue to pay for power.

For now though, residents are worried that the chapel they funded will be taken away.

“The [work of the] administration office is not related to the chapel [activities]. We already have an administration office in our village that he uses as his own,” said U Aung Than, 46. “Now he is trying to use our chapel, so it’s not fair for us.”

A village monk concluded, “We cannot accept his plan, and we will try our best to protect our chapel.”

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News