Unlicensed alcohol vendors caught selling booze to Thingyan revelers will face greater penalties this year, stretching to 2 years in jail and a K200,00 fine, Yangon Regional Police have warned.
Each year, opportunistic street vendors target crowds gathered to celebrate the annual Water Festival at Kandawgyi Park, which hosts a massive party with dance stages and water cannons. The area is far from minimarts, so the market is theirs for the taking.
But new legislation passed late last year, intended to crack down on alcohol-related crime, means that the punishment for those who are caught will be more severe than in the past. And authorities intend to use the full force of the law.
“Over Thingyan, illegal alcohol sellers always get arrested and any punished with a fine or prison stay,” a senior officer told The Voice. “This year, there will be the highest imprisonment which is 2 years according to the new alcohol law.”
Under the previous legislation, the sentence was 6 months in prison, a K1,000 fine or both, a supreme court lawyer told the paper.
“But according to the new one… the punishment will be a minimum of 6 months in prison or a maximum of 2 years in prison, and the fine is K100,000 to K200,000.”
During Thingyan last year, more than 300 people were arrested under the alcohol law.
