Electricity considered one of the fuses

Electricity considered one of the fuses

Whatever the political and military reasons were that led to the bomb explosions in Tachilek on 21 May that killed 4 and wrecked the statue of a Burmese hero, the jostle for the right to electricity supply among the local businessmen was one issue that could not be brushed off easily, a recent informal meeting of traders in Mae Sai concluded. 

"The destruction of the statue of King Bayintnaung (1551 - 1581) was carried out simply to confuse the issues," said one. "The main object of the exercise was the Tar Wai power station, where the blast successfully damaged two of the generators there." 

Tachilek, except for government quarters and people with private generators, is once more in the dark since the Wai Family Electrical Production and Supplies Co. Ltd.
s electricity plant went out of commission during the blowup that also killed one of its workers. The station was only in operation for less than a month (since 28 April). 

Its conditions: to discard the durable Thai meter boxes and replace them with new ones that have to be replaced every two years, each costing more than 30,000 baht together the 8 baht per unit service charge had upset several prominent citizens. "We had to pay only 5 baht to Khun Prasong (Markmahsin, the Thai agent)", said another one. 

Sai Hseng, 55, a local businessman, was said to have applied for official permission earlier by offering to retain the Thai meter boxes at the rate of 4 baht per unit. But his application was turned down and the concession was granted to Tar Wai, who enjoys close ties with the United Wa State Army and its business firm, Hong Pang. 

"The grant has angered even the local authorities who thought they had been cheated out of their rightful shares in the spoils by Brig Gen Khin Zaw (commander of the Triangle Region Command with headquarters in Kenntung, 160 km north of Tachilek)", according to a source. "As a result, there is a concerted effort by some officers at present to have him removed from eastern Shan State." 

Believe it or not, they said, power supply is a business of great reward. "Remember an U Kyi Htwe, who was found dead in 1999 with gunshot wounds?" asked one rhetorically. "He had also applied for (electricity) license." 

Currently, U Tar Wai a.k.a U Sai Shan, Maung Win, 58, another ethnic Chinese applicant and an unidentified representative of the Thai power agent in Mae Sai are Rangoon to have the issue resolved. "It might turn out that Thais are back again with their electricity," said one. 

To answer Burma's shortage of power, many border towns have turned to their neighboring countries for local supply. Laokai, a Kokang town in the north, for one, gets its electricity from China. 

Meanwhile, Tip Taiwan, a former Khun Sa follower, is still being detained at the Military Intelligence Detachment #24 in Tachilek. "He is being forced to confess that he, as a Shan State Army saboteur, was responsible for the 21 May blasts," said a trader. 

The SSA "South" the main armed movement still at war with Rangoon, has denied any connections to Sai Tip, who is labeled by Rangoon as San Tit.