The four-day traditional Burmese Thingyan Water Festival was concluded at a crowded tent jointly set up by a Kachin ceasefire group and a local company in Northern Burma, locals said.

Hundreds of locals trooped in at the Thingyan tent inside the compound of Jadeland Myanmar Co., Ltd. owned by Kachin businessman Sutdu Yup Zau Hkawng, behind the State High School No. (1) in Myothit quarter in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State. The tent was jointly put up by Jadeland Myanmar Co., Ltd. and the main Kachin ceasefire group, Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), locals told KNG.

Burma's famous ethnic Shan singer, Sai Hsai Mao along with other famous Burmese singers were specially invited to night entertainment programmes during the water festival from April 13 to 16 by Jadeland Myanmar Co., Ltd,  company sources said.

Local participants told KNG that they saw a background banner inside the tent in Jadeland Myanmar Co., Ltd. reading --- "KIO and Jadeland Myanmar Co., Ltd".

People also crowded another Thingyan tent in May Myint quarter set up by Aung Mai (Awng Mai) Trading Co., Ltd, which is a firm close to the regime's Kachin State's military commander, Maj-Gen Ohn Myint, added locals.

But, the people were not crowding the central Thingyan tent between Myitkyina Township market No. (1) and No. (2). The tent was set up by the regime's township authorities, participants said.

Unlike last year's festival, the junta unusually did not order building individual government departmental Thingyan tents and only three Thingyan tents were seen in this year's festival in the township, locals added.

In the past official holidays during the Burmese traditional Thingyan Water Festival were only four days however the holidays have been increased to a total of eight days over the past year, locals said.

In Christian dominated Myitkyina, the local Christian leaders think that building Buddhist-cultural Thingyan tents by Christians in the KIO and the Jadeland Myanmar Co., Ltd. rather unusual and unacceptable.