Southeast Asia Games: Concerns over power, safety
Lacking confidence in Myanmar’s power supply system, the country’s Ministry of Sports has said it will use generators for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, slated to be held in Naypyitaw, Mandalay, Ngwe Saung and Yangon from December 11 to 22.
The director of the ministry’s Public Affairs and Education Department said a sudden blackout during the regional sporting event would be “a disgrace to the country’s dignity”, as it hosts the Games for the first time in decades.
Myanmar’s Vice President Sai Mauk Kham, who supervises the SEA Games Organising Committee, reportedly ordered the ministries to be flawless during the games, saying that if an error occurred to stain the country’s image, the highest ranking official and others from the responsible ministry would lose their jobs.
Apart from the Ministry of Sports, the ministries of hotels and tourism, home affairs, transport, electric power and others are organising the games.
However, security remains a lingering concern for organisers. Despite a series of bomb blasts around the country in mid-October and the simmering threat of sectarian violence, plans are full steam ahead and the government is adamant to make the region’s most important sporting event a success.
“The Myanmar police force will work together with international counterparts to ensure security for the SEA Games,” said Zaw Win, Deputy Minister for Sport.
The government has spent millions of dollars to host the games. It has built new facilities in Naypyitaw and has over 10,000 staff working in events being held in Yangon as well as Mandalay. Among all this, security seems to be the overriding concern following resurgent sectarian violence in the country, especially as foreign teams – including from majority Muslim countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia – will be participating in the SEA Games.
“The security is main concern for the event. The safety of the spectators is important too. We will cooperate with each other to implement the security step by step. No one wants bomb alerts or problems, we want peacefulness. Not just setting up security checks, officials and athletes should have awareness too,” said Dr. Aung Tun Thet, Economic Advisor for the President.
Lacking confidence in Myanmar's power supply system, the country's Ministry of Sports has said it will use generators for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, slated to be held in Naypyitaw, Mandalay, Ngwe Saung and Yangon from December 11 to 22. The director of the ministry’s Public Affairs and Education Department said a sudden blackout during the regional sporting event would be "a disgrace to the country’s dignity", as it hosts the Games for the first time in decades. Myanmar's Vice President Sai Mauk Kham, who supervises the SEA Games Organising Committee, reportedly ordered the...
Lacking confidence in Myanmar’s power supply system, the country’s Ministry of Sports has said it will use generators for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, slated to be held in Naypyitaw, Mandalay, Ngwe Saung and Yangon from December 11 to 22.
The director of the ministry’s Public Affairs and Education Department said a sudden blackout during the regional sporting event would be “a disgrace to the country’s dignity”, as it hosts the Games for the first time in decades.
Myanmar’s Vice President Sai Mauk Kham, who supervises the SEA Games Organising Committee, reportedly ordered the ministries to be flawless during the games, saying that if an error occurred to stain the country’s image, the highest ranking official and others from the responsible ministry would lose their jobs.
Apart from the Ministry of Sports, the ministries of hotels and tourism, home affairs, transport, electric power and others are organising the games.
However, security remains a lingering concern for organisers. Despite a series of bomb blasts around the country in mid-October and the simmering threat of sectarian violence, plans are full steam ahead and the government is adamant to make the region’s most important sporting event a success.
“The Myanmar police force will work together with international counterparts to ensure security for the SEA Games,” said Zaw Win, Deputy Minister for Sport.
The government has spent millions of dollars to host the games. It has built new facilities in Naypyitaw and has over 10,000 staff working in events being held in Yangon as well as Mandalay. Among all this, security seems to be the overriding concern following resurgent sectarian violence in the country, especially as foreign teams – including from majority Muslim countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia – will be participating in the SEA Games.
“The security is main concern for the event. The safety of the spectators is important too. We will cooperate with each other to implement the security step by step. No one wants bomb alerts or problems, we want peacefulness. Not just setting up security checks, officials and athletes should have awareness too,” said Dr. Aung Tun Thet, Economic Advisor for the President.
