At least two people have been killed in motor accidents while traffic police fail to direct traffic on roads choked with pilgrims attending the Khaik-kha-moi pagoda festival, say local sources.
Though traffic police manage the increased traffic flows in Khaik-kha-moi town, roads leading to the pagoda in Mudon and Thanbyuzayat Townships go without supervision, though they see dangerously high volumes of traffic. The festival officially runs from October 16th to 18th, but it is wildly popular and pilgrims from townships across Mon State begin arriving as early as October 4th.
In Mudon Township, a fatal accident occurred on October 15th, says an IMNA field reporter. Three girls on a motorbike collided with a car as the vehicles negotiated a busy merging point. Two of the girls died at the scene and the third was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
At least one other serious accident occurred during the festival, says a local witness. “I don’t know how many accidents have occurred or how many people have died so far. But, I saw one more accident yesterday in Thanbyuzayat. A motorbike and bicycle crashed side-by-side and two people were taken to the hospital.”
Though there are a number of places where direction might save lives during busy festival times, traffic police do not manage traffic flows.
The lack of direction is not for want of traffic police personnel; instead of managing traffic, officers appear more interested in making money. According to a Thanbyuzayat resident, traffic police from the area congregate at Kyaik-kha-moi pagoda and nearby Set Se beach, a popular destination for festivalgoers. There they tax parking or wait for opportunities to extract fines from festivalgoers for minor infractions. Parking at Set Se beach costs 500 kyat, reported one source that attended the festival.
During non-festival times, traffic policemen typically appear as if from nowhere to fine people for driving without helmets or a license. Motorcycle licenses are expensive, and many drivers in Burma drive unlicensed vehicles. Many of the vehicles are also illegally imported from Thailand. The traffic police often ask a minimum of 5,000 kyat for an infraction, but the “fines” can be much higher, says an IMNA field reporter in Thanbyuzayat.
In one extreme case that highlights the officers’ preference for personal finance rather than public safety, an IMNA source reports that at a busy junction in Myaynigone, Rangoon, officers hide rather than direct traffic, showing themselves only to fine people who cross illegally.
