Irrawaddy painting awarded best prize

Zaw Zaw’s painting "Irrawaddy" was awarded the best prize for 2009 in a painting competition in Rangoon organized by the Tun Foundation Bank.

Burmese artist Zaw Zaw’s painting - the Irrawaddy river view with the two main rivers--- Mali Hka and N’Mai Hka (May Kha in Burmese) has been awarded the best prize for 2009 in a painting competition organized by the Tun Foundation Bank on December 12, 2009.

“Zaw Zaw won last year’s competition,” said an employee of Tun Foundation Bank. She told Kachin News Group today, this is the third consecutive year of the painting competition funded by Tun Foundation Bank in Rangoon, the former capital of Burma.

Zaw Zaw’s painting named “Irrawaddy” won from among 375 paintings by 281 competitors. It was reported by a local weekly journal “7 Day News Journal” dated on December 17, 2009.

“There will be another competition this year,” said the employee. The winner was awarded a prize of Kyat 3 million (US$3,125) and a gold medal.

The Irrawaddy River, also called Mali Hka in Kachin is approximately 2,170 kilometers long and flows through the centre of the country.

At the moment Kachin people living in northern Burma are protesting against the Myitsone (confluence) dam construction on the Irrawaddy River located over 20 miles north of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State. It threatens their lives and thousands of people are facing displacement.

The hydropower dam construction is being done by China owned China Power Investment Cooperation (CPI), Asia World Company and the Burmese ruling junta. The construction site officially opened in December 21, 2009 amidst local outcry.

“We at KDNG are really proud about the painting, which is dedicated to the beauty of the Irrawaddy River and reveals the pride of the river,” said Ms. Ah Nan from Kachin Development Networking Group and also from Burma Rivers Network.

She added, “This beautiful river is struggling against damage by the Myitsone dam construction, so we need to protect it.”

Overseas ethnic Kachin people and social and political groups will submit an appeal letter to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao with their signatures on January 26 demanding a halt to the project.

A farmer from Phyapone Township in the Irrawaddy division told KNG, they had heard about the project and farmers, who live far away are apprehensive of losing water resources.

“However, it will affect the upper reaches, where farmers really depend on the Irrawaddy River. It is not as problematic for us as we are living on the coast and we are more dependent on rain for our paddy field,” the farmer added.

Farmers around the Irrawaddy division affected by Cyclone Nargis in May, 2008 still struggle with fund shortage as their crop yield continues to fall since last year, said the farmer.

“Almost all of us could not pay last year’s loan and we are heavily in debt,” he said.

KDNG has said the Myitsone dam construction will badly affect millions of people who are living along the river.

Source : http://kachinnews.com/News/Irrawaddy-painting-awarded-best-prize.html