Mon State Security Minister warns Chaungzon police for leaking info of illegal gambling parties

The Mon State (administrative division of Myanmar) Minister of Security and Border Affairs Col Win Naing Oo warned the local police for failing to catch illegal gambling parties in Chaungzon Township, Mon State last week due to an information leak.

The state minister told Hinthar Media that he summoned the local authorities to the Mon State government office on January 9 and warned them after the Chaungzon Township Police was unable to catch the gambling parties at a local religious ceremony in Mu Kwel Kone at Kha Lawt Ka Naing Village under Chaungzon Township on the night of January 8.

“I wasn’t satisfied with their response on this incident because they said there weren’t any gambling parties. Although a local dutiful citizen reported the gambling parties with photo evidence and video records and provided them to the local police, they were unable to catch them. This makes loss the public’s trust. It seems lack of respect toward the action of the dutiful citizens,” said Col Win Naing Oo. 

The township general administrator and the local police had to sign the letter of acknowledgement to the state minister and secretary of the state government over this issue.

On condition of anonymity, a local resident said there have been high criticisms among the local residents on misusing religious ceremonies to hold gambling parties.

“Gambling parties have been held since three days ago. These include card game, an ga lon (a dice-rolling game), cockfight, and a ni htaung (a gambling game played with red and white nested cube). There were three card game parties, seven an ga lone parties, and five a ni htaung parties,” said the local resident of Kha Lawt Ka Naing Village.

The Maha Doke Alms Offering Ceremony was held on January 9 and the gaming parties have been held since the night of January 6. According to the news source, the gamblers were playing at the gambling parties up to 7:30 pm on the night of January 8.

“Kha Lawt Ka Naing Village isn’t the only village. [There are gambling parties in every village where religious ceremony held. We told this to respective department. They neglected us. [The gambling parties] are always held before the ceremonies or festivals. We reported this to the [Mon State] Chief Minister last year,” said Mon State Hluttaw MP Daw Kyi Kyi Mya.

After the local residents reported the gambling parties to the authorities, Chaungzon Township Police was assigned to arrest the gamblers but they reported that they did not see any gambling parties at the village, according to Col Win Naing Oo.

“The public reported about the gambling news. When we assigned the info to the local police, the news got leaked and the gamblers were disappeared earlier. This is an information leak. Next time, I will have to make my own arrangements to arrest them myself instead of assigning the task to the local police. This is the only solution,” he added.

The local authorities have arrested cockfight gamblers in Thaton and Mawlamyine districts and Paung and Ye townships in the Mon State.