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‘General Aung San Bridge’ protesters vow to fight till the end

HURFOM: On April 23^rd 2017, the central committee of protesters against renaming the Than Lwin (Chaungzone) Bridge held an event in the Mon Community Hall in Thanbyuzayat, Mon State to collect signatures from supporters for a petition opposed to the controversial decision to rename the bridge after General Aung San in Chaungzone Township, Mon State.

The committee vowed to continue to fight until the bridge is named according to the wishes of local civilians.

“The government says they have been developing a democratic culture and adopting a federal system, but they ignore minorities and exercise the tyranny of the majority. So today, we are collecting [signatures for a] petition to oppose the renaming of the Chaungzone Bridge. If [the government] continues to ignore the voices of the minorities, the civil war will never end,” said Nai Ong Mon, a leader of the central committee of protesters against renaming the Than Lwin (Chaungzone) Bridge.

The process of collecting petition signatures began April 13^th and was organized by the central committee of protesters against renaming the Than Lwin (Chaungzone) Bridge. Signatures have been collected from townships throughout Mon State and the petition will be sent to the Union-level Minister for Ethnic Affairs.

According to Mon State Chief Minister Dr. Aye Zan, the bridge is scheduled to open on May 1^st 2017 under the name ‘General Aung San Bridge’ after the Mon State Ministry of Construction gives final approval.

“Even if the government opens the bridge with a name that we don’t want, this will not stop our activities. We will continue to collect signatures for the petition and will fight till the end to get the name that the local people want,” continued Nai Ong Mon.

On April 5^th 2017, 14 political parties including the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) released a joint statement voicing their opposition to renaming the Than Lwin (Chaungzone) Bridge and requested the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government to respect the wishes of the local civilians in the matter.

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