Mizzima-Aug 18
The Ministry of Electric Power, under Myanmar’s military junta, has experienced widespread absenteeism, with dozens of staff dismissed for alleged ties to resistance groups, according to confidential documents leaked on social media in July. The files reveal that over a five-month period October, November, and December 2024, and January and March 2025 nearly 130 staff were terminated for absenteeism or for allegedly collaborating with the People’s Defense Force (PDF). In January 2025 alone, more than 40 employees were dismissed. The leaked records also show that three employees were sentenced to four years in prison under Section 52(a) of the junta’s Anti-Terrorism Law for alleged links to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the PDF. Most terminations were due to absenteeism, but other reasons included embezzling electricity meter application fees and bill payments, stealing power cables, being arrested by resistance forces and later released but failing to return to duty, and a case in which one employee received a seven-year prison sentence under Section 52(a). The dismissed staff had between seven months and over 20 years of work experience. A ministry employee in Naypyidaw said some workers deliberately stopped showing up to force their dismissal. “Prices of goods have gone up. Staff are also struggling after the earthquake. Salaries are not enough. They don’t want to go to work anymore. Morale is low and people suffer from depression. That’s the reality,” he said, adding that while some are leaving their jobs, others are applying for government posts to avoid conscription. The leaked documents also indicate that other ministries including the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, have dismissed staff since the coup for reasons such as studying abroad and failing to return, prolonged unauthorized absence, or failure to report for duty. Read more at:
