No Justice for Paung Township Community

January 21, 2015

On December 8^th, a Paung lawyer reported that there is no justice and no rule of law in Paung Township, Mon State. There are a lot of cases that do not receive justice in Paung community such as issues surrounding motor-vehicle accidents, domestic violence, and taxation of local businessmen.

The lawyer states, “Our Mon people do not have knowledge about the law. If people have money, or are friends with authorities, it is better for them. We [the lawyer’s law office] stay on the side of the community. Sometimes our case is successful, sometimes it is not. Despite that, we are working with our local people. For example, if someone gets into an accident in the street, no one can touch or help them because they are waiting for the police to come and see the incident first. Some people just look and do nothing.” Currently, he says, the situation in the country is getting worse.

The lawyer related one experience of domestic violence which occurred in Paung Township.

“A couple had divorced, but they have children who live with their paternal grandmother. After the divorce, the judge ruled that the father must provide 100 kyat per month in child support. The decision was not fair, [as the support stipulated was too low], but the man had good connections with the authority, and no one could say anything about it. We even said that 100 kyat per month will not provide anything, but the judge said they used the law, so we cannot say anything. They said that they are currently changing to a democratic system, but the laws and habits are not changing. We are helping the local people as much as we can, but we are not very successful at all.”

People may also look to the example of the authorities launching artillery in Linzar. General Min Aung Hlaing stated that it is just to remind the people of the military’s strength, the military didn’t really do it. The ethnic groups asked the military, if they do launch attacks, how will they do it? The military did not respond.

“I reported to the minister of the Hluttaw, Dr. Min New Soe, about the death of an officer cadet during the Burmese army’s artillery attack on Linzar, and I suggested that the political party should express condolences about the cadet’s death. The military replied that this normally happens and that we must not write about it,” said the lawyer from Paung Township.

A lack of justice may further be found in the glaring corruption between cobblestone production businesses and the state government.

Government approval of high numbers of cobblestone production companies in Mon State has the possibility of producing negative impacts on the environment, nature trail and the health of the local people.

Member of Parliament Nai Chan Myae addressed the Mon State House of Parliament questioning the number of licenses the government approved for cobblestone production companies during the month of December, 2014, and the amount of tax the government has received to date.

In response, Mon State Minister for Forestry and Mining U Win Maw Oo stated that from 2013-2014, the state government granted licenses to 42 businesses, which has amounted to 4,300,000 kyat in tax revenues. Local businessmen argue that the state government did not set an appropriate tax for cobblestone companies, arguing that the relationship between the state government and cobblestone production companies are deceitful and the tax rates levied against those businesses have not been decided fairly.

One 59 year-old businessman who currently pays tax in Paung Town expresses his frustration,

“The owner of the cobblestone [company] only has to pay 100,000 kyat in tax. That is not fair. Even though they are destroying the forest and the environment, they only have to pay 100,000 in tax; is that fair? It is not justice. The state government has really taken a bribe.”

For the 2014-2015 year the state government has approved 17 cobblestone production projects, reaping 2,000,000 kyat in tax.

General Store owner Ma Tin Tin, 37, states that, “Even hawkers who sell at the market must pay 200 kyat per day, but the person who destroys the forest only has to pay 100,000 kyat per year. We don’t know how the businessmen and the state government are talking behind the scenes. Where is the justice for the person who needs to pay as much as the local authorities ask? They should think about it.”

Ma Tin Tin continues that the state government approves licenses for cobblestone projects in order to receive a large profit. The government, she says, gives licenses to those individuals who come to an understanding with them. Ma Tin Tin states that “the local businessmen have long felt that this is unjust.”

On January 6^th, local Paung Town businessman Ko Kyaw Win Tun asked if the government can say there is no corruption among them and the cobblestone project owners, and asked what is behind the 100,000 kyat tax agreement between them? “It shows that the government does not care about the citizens,” he said.

Ko Kyaw Win Tun added that, even though the price of cobblestone is high, around 10 thousand kyat per kyin (kyin is the Burmese measurement for one hundred cubic feet of rock), the business owners only have to pay 50 kyat per kyin.

“This is not acceptable and it is really terrible,” he says, “It is not honest. The state government is engaging in corruption. I would like to say frankly that the government is abusing the people who perform their business honestly.”

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News