Lack of telecoms disrupts services in Mong Kung, says MP
A lack of telephone signal is causing disruptions to
services such as health, education and social welfare in Mong Kung Township,
said Sai Seng Murng, an MP representing the Shan Nationalities League for
Democracy, speaking in parliament on Wednesday.
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| Photo Pyithu Hluttaw- (left) Minister of Transport and Telecommunications Htant Zin Maung and (right) Sai Seng Murng, an MP representing the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy in Mong Kung Township. |
He added that this “barrier” was resulting in huge
problems for residents, and was hurting the local economy.
Situated 100 kilometres east of Mandalay, the town
of Mong Kung has a population of over 61,000. It is located at a high altitude
of 1,095 m (3,593 ft) and is surrounded
by mountains on all sides, making it difficult for radio, television and mobile
phone reception.
State-owned Myanma Posts and Telecommunications
currently provides relay stations for mobile phone signals to 21 towns in
southern Shan State.
Of the two international firms with telecoms
licenses in Burma, Norwegian company Telenor provides a GSM service to 192
ports, while Qatar-based Ooredoo covers 81. However, because of its terrain,
Mong Kung Township only receives signals on CDMA-450 MHz; its GSM service is still
in process.
MP Sai Seng Murng said yesterday that Minister of
Transport and Telecommunications Htant Zin Maung understood the difficulties facing
people in Mong Tung.
He said that the minister had promised to try to solve
the problem. He also said that, within the next five years, towns along the
border or in rural areas will also have working mobile phone signals.
“In the past, no one talked about Mong Kung. No one
knew where it was,” said Sai Seng Murng. “Now that I have raised this issue,
people across the country will know about it.”
A proposal to debate the lack of telecoms services
in Mong Kung was submitted to the lower house on August 29, and tabled at the parliamentary
session on September 28.
BY- Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
Tags: News, Politics
