A Buddhist charity group has been granted with butcher licenses from the past 4 years in Pan Ta Naw Township, in Ayeyarwady Region The Buddhist group locally known as Ziwita Dhana has do not allow Muslims to celebrate annual Eid ul Adha religious festival, which include sacrifice of animal in the name of God. The group recently announced that the ban on the Muslims would be remain in place during this year’s Eid. According to a member of Ziwita Dhana it has been granted butcher licenses by the local authorities, without competitive bidding, from the past four years (starting from 2013-14 fiscal year). “We want to do charity with meat from the animal we give as sacrifice, but we cannot do, as it is prohibited. As you know people who came from Yangon (last year) to do sacrifice in Einmei (other town in the Ayeyarwady Region) were not allow by Ma Ba Tha to take back meat,” a Muslim resident of Pan Ta Naw said. A statement on prohibiting slaughter of cows and buffalos during the Muslim Eid day was issued on 16 June by a group called itself the Committee on Protection of Cows and Buffaloes. The statement was signed by leaders of Ziwita Dhana group Ashin Bandata Kumar (Mya Taung Monastery), Ashin Kaw Wi Ta (Phakan/ Moe Gaung Dhamma Yeiktha) and U Mya Kyaing, the chair of the Pan Ta Naw Township Ziwika Dhana group. It said transportation of meat from one township to other is also prohibited. A member of the Ziwita Dhana group said the group raised fund for the cost of butcher licenses from donation collected from 55 village tracts in Pan Ta Naw Township, which include a total of 448 villages. Each monastery in the township have donated fund ranging from Kyat 100 000 to 500 000 and the total 300 monasteries exists in the township. Pan Ta Naw is a major stronghold of the Ma Ba Tha. Reference Source of BHRN