Paletwa Locals to Demand More Electricity Supply

17 July 2012: Community leaders from Paletwa in Paletwa Township of Chin State are taking initiative in preparation to demand an increase of electricity supply in three wards of the town.

The local leaders from three wards recently formed a committee to submit a letter to President Thein Sein in demand of adding one more hour to the current one-hour-and-half supply of electricity between 7 and 9pm at night.

“The people unanimously agreed to write a letter to Thein Sein in order to receive a full two-hour-and-half supply of electricity in the town as the current supply is far too insufficient,” a Paletwa local, of KMG (Khumi Media Group) told Chinland Guardian.

During the Pyithu Hluttaw session on 14 September 2011, Union Minister for Electric Power No. 2 U Khin Maung Soe said electricity will be distributed to Paletwa of Chin State through Kyauktaw of Rakhine State upon completion of Lemro Hydropower Project and Saidin Hydropower Project.

However, the local community said the Lemro dam project between China and Burma will not benefit the Chins as 90 percent of its generated electricity will be sold to Bangladesh and the remaining 10 percent will be used by Thein Sein’s government.

In response to a question raised in the Amyotha Hluttaw on 17 September 2011 by U Salai Khoi Yan, U Khin Maung Soe said Paletwa is provided electricity from Thinthe Creek small-scale hydropower plant, two 120-kilowatt diesel generators and 58.4-kilowatt diesel generator.

A Chin local from Paletwa town told Chinland Guardian: “We do get electricity for nearly two hours at night but we cannot use it for any other purposes apart from producing light. Sometimes, it is only as bright as a ripe tomato.”

Currently, electricity is being provided 1.30hrs a day to three wards of Rikha, Myoma and Ywama in Paletwa town, the biggest in Paletwa Township, with over 4,000 houses.

Reporting by Peter Lu with Thawng Zel Thang
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