Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA)

November 19, 2003

 Burmese Army’s business in gambling

Local military battalions of Burmese Army in Mon State have seriously involved in setting gambling dens in several villages together with staging the local entertainment shows, then collect tax from these dens.

Culturally, the local Mon communities oppose the gambling activities in order to maintain simple moral behaviour, but the Burmese Army set the gambling dens openly in the rural villages. The battalions concerned hired the local entertainment shows and organize the people to come to the shows in village grounds. Nearby the shows, the gambling dens are set and encouraged men and women to play various types of gambles. The army hired cheap entertainment shows and has sought more tax income from gambling.

The tax from the gambling is varied and depend on the types of gambles. The ranges of tax are from Kyat 25000.00 in maximum for big type of gamble to Kyat 1000.00 in minimum for the small type of gamble.

In order to organize more Mon villages coming to the shows and involve in the gambling, they also instructed actors in the shows to sign Mon songs.

While the well known entertainment shows in Mon State cost Kyat 300000.00 per night, the army takes the show with cheap price that cost Kyat 90000.00 and arrange the shows from one village to another every night. They set the gambling dens every night and get big amount of tax income from these dens. Currently the army could arrange the shows and set the gambling dens in over 30 villages in Mon State and receive hundreds of thousands Kyat of income.

Even the community leaders, monks and elderly people do not like the practices of Burmese Army’s local battalions, but they have no place to complain the cases.