The Burmese military authority has prohibited the distribution of electricity from private generators in Maungdaw, the western border town of Burma, since the government-owned Electric Power Corporation, EPC, increased its hours of electricity distribution in the town, said a teacher from Maungdaw.

"EPC last week increased the hours of power distribution from two hours to four hours at night in Maungdaw. Since then, the authority has not allowed private generators to distribute power in our town. Because of that, many students have suffered because there is no light in their houses for studying their lessons," he said.

He added, "The reason the authority prohibited power distribution from private generators is to sell power from EPC. The authority is worried about loss of profits after increasing their distribution of power in the town. So the authority ordered private generators closed down in the town. It is intended to get people to buy power from EPC."

Maungdaw District Chairman Aung Swe Nyunt recently issued an order to close down all private generators in Maungdaw. After that, many students from poor families began facing problems with a lack of power in their homes.

Naing Kyaw, a student from Wimala Ward said, "The exam is very close but there is no electricity in our houses because the authority deprived distribution of power by private generators. We now have to study for our courses at home by candles."

In February and March of this year, the government examinations will be held for students from primary school to high school in Burma.

Poor families in Maungdaw were getting electricity from private generators by paying 3,500 kyat per month for one light. The private generators supplied power to the houses for at least three hours per day.

"We want to get the power from EPC but it is very expensive, so we can not get the power in our homes. If we get power from EPC, we will have to pay 80,000 kyats to EPC for a meter box and at least 150,000 kyats to get the power from them," the teacher explained.

The authority sells meter boxes to the public at a cost of 80,000 kyats each, but officials from EPC also take bribes of at least 50,000 kyats from each household as a charge for installing the box. People end up paying at least 150,000 kyats just for the ability to buy power from EPC.

The Maungdaw authority closed down the private generators in order to increase the number of households getting power from EPC, but two-thirds of the families in the area are unable to purchase the electricity to the high expense of setting up the required meter box.

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