Burglars stole a safe from a Mandalay Region minister’s office

Photo: Flickr / Rob Pongsajapan
Photo: Flickr / Rob Pongsajapan

Burglars broke into the office of Mandalay Region’s Shan Ethnic Affairs Minister, Sai Kyaw Zaw, last Thursday and made off with a safe that held some of the minister’s money.

The minister discovered the burglary after reviewing his office’s CCTV footage upon returning to work following the Thingyan holiday.

Sai Kyaw Zaw told Eleven: “We’ve had things stolen before, but but I didn’t think these cases were burglaries.”

He is now compiling a list of items he believes were stolen.

“The ministry doesn’t handle cash; it was just my own money in the safe. Since no government money was in the safe, we don’t plan to file a lawsuit,” the minister said.

He noted that the burglars are probably people who have had access to the office since before he took the position since no locks in the office were broken. The burglars also reportedly shifted the position of the office’s 17 CCTV cameras using bamboo poles, suggesting that they were familiar with the space.

“In the future, we’ll use smart cards to check the comings and goings of the office, and our old CCTV cameras will be replaced with new ones,” he said.

The offices of the Mandalay Region’s minister for natural resources and conservation, Myo Thit, and the minister for agriculture, irrigation and animal breeding, Dr. Soe Than, were also reportedly burgled recently. In the latter case, burglars made off with K1 million.

Sai Kyaw Zaw told the Myanmar Times that the Criminal Investigation Department is working to track down the burglars.

The vast majority of people in Myanmar do not use bank accounts, choosing instead to store cash at home or in safes. This leaves their money vulnerable to fires, flooding, and theft.

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