Officials Press Charges Against ‘Electricity Protestors’

Activists who joined the widespread protests calling for sufficient electricity supplies in Mandalay in May have been charged by the city’s police for demonstrating without official permission.

Following frequent power cuts during the hot season, protests kicked off in Mandalay on 20 May and eventually spread throughout the country to Rangoon, Monywa and Prome […]

Protests Demanding Increased Power Supply Illustrates Burma’s Unpreparedness for Influx of Foreign Investment

Last week saw various inspiring actions bravely undertaken by the people against injustice and the government’s irresponsibility in fulfilling their daily needs such as electricity. There were actions against land confiscations, low wages, violations of labor rights, and, largest of all, against the significant shortage of power in various areas across Burma.

During the past few weeks there have been worker strikes in as many as 20 different factories. These include the 25 people on hunger strike that continued into its second day on Saturday at Yangon Crown Steel factory in Hmawbi, Yangon Division, where almost 400 workers have been on strike since May 20. Despite the number of worker strikes, only a few have had successful negotiations with factory owners. Many have suggested that this is due to the lack of a government policy outlining a minimum wage and laws that protect the rights of workers. This is a reminder again of how the government is unprepared to accommodate foreign investment and manage the type of development it will bring […]

69 People from Shan State Sign Letter Calling for 24-hour Electricity and Sufficient Water Supply

A group of 69 people signed letter to President Thein Sein calling for 24-hour electricity and sufficient water supply. The letter highlighted the issue of electricity shortage that has got worse and the need of sufficient water supply for Shan State’s highland. […]

Peaceful Protestors Face Violence by Burma’s Police

Peaceful demonstrators calling for a regular supply of electricity in Pyi Township have faced a brutal crackdown by police in Burma.
AAPP firmly condemns the way police have mistreated protestors during non-violent demonstrations against chronic electricity shortages, when 5 protestors were beaten and arrested by 80 policemen on May 24, 2012 […]

Massive Protest Shines a Light on Power Cuts

More than 1,000 people in Burma’s second-largest city have held a protest against severe power cuts, residents told AFP, the country’s biggest public demonstration in five years.

A large crowd was again expected to gather in Mandalay on Monday evening as residents vent their anger at three months of power cuts that have left the city with as little as four hours of electricity a day […]

MDCF Calls for 24-hr Electricity and Cheaper SIM Cards

Forty members of Myanmar Democracy Current Force (MDCF) distributed pamphlets in four public places in Rangoon on 9 April to raise awareness about the issue of electricity shortage in Burma and call on the general public to protest the 200,000-kyat (US$244) mobile phones that they claimed the government is keeping the price high […]