Residents of Akyab have to pay 500 kyats a house per month for street lights in the capital of Arakan State.

A merchant from Khonedan Quarter of Akyab says, “Every house has to pay 500 kyats. It is collected by the Lighting Committee of Akyab.

The Lighting Committee consists of the junta Charge-d’Affairs of the Akyab region, Brigadier General Than Tun Aung and business men who are close to the military authorities. This includes the oil merchant U Shwe Tun Aung and Salt Than Shwe, the owner of Shwe Thazin Hotel in Akyab.

“The electricity is not always available. When it is available, it is only for about two and a half hours. No one really wants to pay for the street charge of 500, but the fear of reprisal from the authorities is greater than the money,” says the same merchant.

The Lighting committee not only collects the street fees, but also inspects the electricity meters. If there is no payment of the electricity or any breaches of the Committee’s policies, there are heavy fines. If the fines are not paid, the electricity will be cut off and the meter counter (a valuable item as the mean of getting electricity) will be sold off.

In about a month time, 57 households were fined for 12,000 kyats. Those unable to pay the fines saw their meter confiscated and resold for 20,000 kyats. The proceedings were divided among the members of the committee, says an Akyab resident.

She also continues that “the committee collected money from town people to buy meters. Every household has to pay about 3,000 kyats. The money is disappears”, and a result has yet to be seen.

It is learnt that Akyab had twenty-four hour electricity under the democracy period led by Prime Minister U Nu, but since the Ne Win regime began, electricity has been a rare event of the day. Under the current military regime it is only available for two hours a day.