Yangon not budging on water festival stage ban
Despite criticism over the ban on commercial pandals, or stages, at the annual water festival last year, the Yangon Region government will not reconsider its decree for the upcoming Myanmar New Year festival, held annually in mid-April. Yangon Mayor U Maung Maung Soe told The Myanmar Times on February 27 that the Chief Minister will not allow commercial pandals to be built as people had to pay a lot of money to enjoy the water festival at these pandals. “We won’t change our plan on the commercial pandals. But we have to think about them and how we should allow these pandals,” said U Maung Maung Soe. According to the Yangon government, the first meeting on the pandals issue was held last week and the Chief Minister agreed to allow commercial pandals at Maida grounds this year.
