Complaint against senior govt staff over corruption in Matupi

19 March 2014: Kyaw Min Htwe, Head of the Matupi Township General Administration, is accused of milking money from development funds and threatening staff members.

An administrative officer and a government employee, both of whom asked not to be named, reported to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) on his corruption, extortion and dishonest behaviour towards civil servants.

They said that he had siphoned off 4,500,000 kyats out of a total 2013-14 budget of 6,500,000 provided by the State government in May last year for construction of a Matupi-Amsoi road.

“He spent only 1,900,000 Kyats for fuel and salaries of machine drivers. The account for the rest of the expenses are nowhere to be found,” they added.

Recently, Peng Lian, Amsoi Village General Administrator, was forced to get a written report on the completion of an unfinished over-2-mile road between Matupi and Paletwa towns by the first week of last month, with a threat of holding his salary.

Htwe is also accused of putting discriminatory measures into his dealing with a government loan budget of 120,000,000 kyats, with 2.5 percent interest for 200,000 kyats per civil servant.

“It is not fair that he loans 500,000 and 5,000,000 kyats to the wife of Deputy Head of the Matupi Town General Administration Nyi Nyi Lwin, and USDP Chairman of Matupi Township respectively, both with no interest charges while others are asked to pay different interest rates of 1.5 or 2.5 percent,” said the government employee.

It is also alleged that Htwe had diverted 5,000,000 kyats donated during his November visit by Thura Shwe Mann for Matupi Township development after claiming that it was originally meant for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

“Community Chairman Pu Cang Kom received the donation and handed it over to Kyaw Min Htwe. And a USDP party accountant confirmed that there was no receipt of incoming money as such,” they added.

On another occasion in July last year, Htwe had cut 30,000 kyats from the salary of each of 25 village clerks in Matupi Township on his own initiative, with no reasons given.

The clerks were quoted as saying: “Later, he ordered us to sign a document saying that it was the money they donated for office general expenses as the District General Administration Office were conducting an investigation in September last year.”

Htwe’s wife Khin Thet Mon Kyaw, a lower clerk at the Matupi Township General Administration Office, is said to have continued to draw her monthly salary although she has not come to the office following the end of her maternal leave in December last year.

It is claimed that she is getting someone else in the office to sign in and out on her behalf to prove that her work attendance is regular.

Chinland Guardian is unable to reach relevant authorities for comment.#