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BANGKOK - Rare street protests of months of electricity cuts arebeing held in Burma"s second-largest city, Mandalay.Burma"s state media blames attacks by ethnic-Kachin rebelsfor worsening chronic power shortages. Protesters gathered late Sunday in Mandalay, upset with power cutsthat have left them with only several hours of electricity a day. Hundreds of people held a peaceful candle-lit walk through thestreets and outside the local electric authority, demanding regularsupplies of power. Some reports quoted people upset with the government for sellingpower to China when it cannot meet its own people"s needs. Three out of four Burmese do not have access to electricity,despite the country"s huge oil, gas and hydropower resources,much of which is sold to neighbors Thailand and China. Monk U Wirathu took part in the demonstration and spoke toVOA"s Burmese Service. He says they protested because officials announced electricitywould be distributed only six hours a day. Previously, they werenot limited to six hours, but electricity distribution wasalternated either day or night. Rangoon, the former capital, is also down to several hours ofelectricity a day. Burma"s state media blamed the rebel Kachin Independence Armyfor destroying part of a power grid in eastern Shan State. The New Light of Myanmar newspaper says KIA bomb blasts over theweekend destroyed four electricity towers, reducing powernation-wide by 200 megawatts. Colonel James Lum Dau is deputy of foreign affairs for theKIA"s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization. He denies their army would attack the electricity grid and saidauthorities are always blaming the KIA. "We are not going to do this kind of thing. We have no policy[like this]. And, again, this is the area ... is not the area weare operating. So that, I can deny that this is absolutelyimpossible," he said. The KIA could not be immediately reached for comment. Lum Dau said Burma soldiers have in recent weeks been moving in onthe KIA"s headquarters in Laiza, near the Chinese border,leading to fierce clashes. Burma"s army and the KIA have been fighting since June, whenthey broke a 17-year cease-fire. Protests are rare in Burma where the military crushed democracyuprisings in 1988 and 2007. But since last year the nominallycivilian government has ushered in reforms, including a lawallowing peaceful protest. The Mandalay protesters failed to get permission for thedemonstration, but authorities appear to be tolerating them. Burmese media reported the local electricity chief promised toquickly resolve the power shortage or he would resign. I am an expert from structural-steelbuilding.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Steel Bailey Bridge , Steel Buildings Kits Manufacturer, Commercial Steel Buildings,and more.
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