Court orders 54 including Daw Myat Than to pay 100,000 Kyats each for unruly behavior on DEMU train

The Mawlamyine Township Court today, July 27, in the afternoon, ordered 54 individuals, including Daw Myat Than, to pay a fine of 100,000 Kyats each for unruly behavior that caused disturbance to passengers on the Mawlamyine-Yangon DEMU express train. On July 23, the aforementioned women's sports team, who were traveling on the No. 84 down DEMU train departing from Mawlamyine Station to Yangon, were seen hanging from the train's seat railings, jumping and dancing on the seats in an undisciplined manner, singing loudly, and blocking the aisles by spilling food on the floor. They filmed TikTok videos of these actions and posted them on social media. This sports team had rented all 60 seats across three carriages of the train. They were arrested and charged by Myanma Railways and the police force due to their actions that endangered the public. These actions were in violation of the prohibition stated in Section 83 (e) of the Railway Transportation Business Law, which states, "One shall not act or speak in a manner that causes annoyance or disturbance to others on the train." Therefore, they were charged and prosecuted under Section 88 (a). This section carries a penalty of imprisonment not exceeding three months or a fine ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 Kyats. The court imposed the fine of 100,000 Kyats each. The DEMU express train carriages currently being operated by the election government were ordered and purchased from Niigata Transys Co., Ltd. of Japan with a development assistance loan from the Japanese government during the NLD civilian government's term in 2018-2019. After delays due to the 2021 coup and the COVID-19 pandemic, the election government began operating on some lines, including the Mawlamyine-Yangon route. Photo: Social Media