The military council is reportedly threatening and ordering government employees and local residents from various townships in Magway Region to mandatorily attend the Man Shwesettaw Pagoda Festival in Minbu Township. The festival, which runs for 75 days from February 2 to April 17, has seen low attendance, prompting the military council to issue directives to the Magway Region military council to increase public participation.
The Magway Region military council is pressuring staff and local residents from townships within the region to attend in groups. For government employees and their families, travel expenses and transportation are being arranged by township and department on a rotational basis, according to a schoolteacher from Magway city. Additionally, leave days are being granted to employees to facilitate their attendance at the festival.
The Magway Region General Administration Department has also issued orders for residents from villages within Minbu Township to mandatorily attend the pagoda festival. Village, ward, and township administrative bodies are organizing people into groups and arranging their transportation. Hundred-household heads and ten-household heads are leading the effort by compiling lists of residents and coordinating transportation arrangements, as reported by a local resident.
The military council has constructed more than 300 accommodation rooms and approximately 350 shop stalls for the Man Shwesettaw Pagoda Festival. However, due to low attendance, they are now forcing local residents and government employees to attend. This coercion represents another example of the military council’s authoritarian approach to governance, demonstrating their continued pressure on civilians and public servants to comply with their directives despite the clear lack of public interest in participating in the festival under their administration.
