Regional Development Office Opens in Maungdaw

Narinjara News, Maungdaw: The Regional Development Office for two townships in northern Arakan was opened on Tuesday with a ceremony led by Deputy Home Minister Phone Swe in Maungdaw on the western border, said sources.

A town elder said, "As I was invited to attend the opening ceremony, I went there to attend. The opening ceremony started in front of the office located in Ward No. 2 in Maungdaw at 8 am, and U Phone Swe opened the office."

Two signboards had been erected in front of the office - one stating "Buthidaung Township Development Association" and the other "Maungdaw Township Development Association. The two townships are both primarily Muslim.

"Many government officials and Muslim leaders attended the opening ceremony where U Phone Swe delivered his speech. He said that everyone who lived in the Burmese union to keep the union spirit and defend the country from neocolonial interests," the elder added.

U Phone Swe also urged the people of Arakan to cooperate with the military government for the success of the seven-point roadmap, he said.

The office will be operated by the USDA and used in organizing the Muslim community to support the USDA party in the election, and it will be supervised by two Muslim businessmen - Aung Zaw Win and Aung Naing.

U Aung Zaw Win and U Aung Naing, well-known Muslim businessmen who are active leaders in the party, also accompanied U Phone Swe. U Aung Zaw Win and U Aung Naing have distributed funds for the regional development program, and the office has been opened to carry out development in the region with their donations.

Deputy Home Minister U Phone Swe, along with 20 Muslim businessmen living in Rangoon and elsewhere in Burma, arrived in Maungdaw on 16 May to open the office.

Burmese military authorities opened the office to organize the Muslim community for the election, but may have begun a small change in their attitude towards Muslim communities in northern Arakan State. Because of this, the junta has opened such an office for development of the Muslim community in the area.