U Ye Myint issued the pledge at a Young and Peace Forum in Mandalay at which he urged members of the public to report illegal gambling by university students to the authorities.

“If a member of the public notifies us of students playing cards near Yadanarpon University campus or on ferry buses then we will take immediate action,” the Chief Minister said at the event, held on May 11.

“We know that illegal restaurants [where illegal gambling takes place] have been established in toddy palm plantations near the university and are in discussion with the professors and the university administration to prevent students from indulging in these activities,” said U Ye Myint.

Parents say that the problem has become so serious that some students are spending most of the time in illegal gambling dens near the campus, to the detriment of their studies.

One of the concerned parents, Daw Aye Thandar, said some of the illegal restaurants had built makeshift huts to accommodate student gamblers.