Mizzima News

New Delhi (Mizzima) – The prize giving ceremony of the 'Tawphayalay Aung Zay Memorial' literary prize was cancelled as the Burmese junta authorities did not give permission for the ceremony.

The ceremony was planned for tomorrow at a hotel in Kyauktada Township, Rangoon Division. But the local authorities, Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC), didn't give permission for the ceremony and it had to be canceled.

"The hotel asked for official permission for the ceremony from us. They said that we need to bring an official permission from the Press Scrutiny Board (Censor Board) unless the host is the official Literary Organization. We need this permission, they said. But they didn't give any other reason," Daw Davies Thant Zin, daughter of late Tawphayalay, told Mizzima.

"We haven't ever asked for such permission. We have had to change the venue as we didn't get permission. All the invitations have already been sent out", she added.

The ceremony was held at Thamada (President) Hotel last year without any permission. No similar literary ceremonies have been asked for such permission by the authorities earlier, it is learnt.

The literary circle said that the ban on holding the prize giving ceremony in the pretext of a permission being required might be due to the translated-book releasing ceremony held in January this year which was attended by 'National League for Democracy' (NLD) part leader U Win Tin who served a long prison term.

The host of this 'Tawphayalay Memorial Literary Prize' ceremony invited over 100 persons from the media and literary circles including U Win Tin.

The 'Tawphayalay Memorial Literary Prize' has been given annually since 2007.

This year, two prizes for Selected Short Stories category and Magazine category with a prize money of Kyat 100,000 each will be awarded.

The royal blood Tawphalay is the great grandson of the last Burmese King Thibaw and Queen Su Phaya Latt. He was born to the fourth princess, the granddaughter of King Thibaw, and fourth among his siblings.

He wrote some historical books including 'The new generation loved by people', 'Ngamauk Ruby in London' and 'From Yadanbon to Ratnagiri'.

He died on 18 June 2006.