Postal
POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS MANUAL
VOLUME 1
LEGISLATIVE ENACTMENTS
PART 1
MYANMAR POST OFFICE ACT
published under the Authority of the
Director – General of Posts and Telegraphs
April 1961
(i)
THE MYANMAR CODE
Volume VII
PART VIII . – COMMUNICATIONS AND CARRIERS .
A. POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS .
MYANMAR POST OFFICE ACT .
_____________________
Contents .
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CHAPTER 1.
Preliminary .
Sections ;
1. Extent and application.
2. Definitions.
3. Meanings of "in course of transmission by post " and " delivery."
CHAPTER II.
Privilege and Protection of the Government.
4. Exclusive privilege of conveying letters reserved to the Government .
5. Certain persons expressly forbidden to convey letters.
6. Exemption from liability for loss , misdelivery, delay or damage.
CHAPTER I I.I .
Postage .
7. Power to fix rates of inland postage .
8. Power to make rules as to payment of postage and fees in certain cases.
9. Power to make rules as to registered newspapers.
10. Power to declare reates of foreign postage.
11. Liability for payment of postage.
12. Recovery of postage and other sums due in respect of postal articles.
13. Customs-duty paid by the post office to be recoverable as postage .
14. Post office marks prima facie evidence of certain facts denoted.
15. Official mark to be evidence of amount of postage.
CHAPTER I V .
Postage Stamps .
16. Provision of postage stamps and power to make rules as to them.
17. Postage stamps to be deemed to be stamps for the purpose of revenue.
(ii)
CHAPTER V.
conditions of Transmission of Postal Articles.
Sections .
18. Redelivery to sender of postal article in course of transmission by post.
19. Transmission by post of anything injurious prohibited.
20. Transmission by post of anything indecent , etc , prohibited.
21. Power to make rules as to transmission by post of postal articles .
22. Power to postpone dispatch or delivery of certain postal articles .
23. Power to deal with postal articles posted in contravention of Act .
24. Power to deal with postal articles containing goods contraband or liable to duty.
4.A Power to deliver such articles to Customs authority.
25. Power to intercept notified goods during transmission by post.
26. Power to intercept postal articles for public good.
27. Power to deal with postal articles from abroad bearing fictitious or previously used stamps.
27.A Prohibition of transmission by post of certain newspapers.
27.B Power to detain newspapers and other articles being transmitted by post.
27.C Procedure for disposal by High Court of applications for release of newspapers and articles so
detained.
27.D Jurisdiction barred.
CHAPTER VI.
Registration, Insurance and Value-Payable Post.
28. Registration of postal articles.
29. Power to make rules as to registration.
30. Insurance of postal articles.
31. Power to require Insurance of postal articles.
32. Power to make rules as to insurance.
33. Liability in respect of postal articles insured.
34. Transmission by post of value-payable postal articles.
35. Power to make rules as to value-payable postal articles.
36. Power to give effect to arrangements with other countries.
CHAPTER VII.
Undelivered Postal Articles.
37. Power to make rules as to disposal of undelivered postal articles.
38. Disposal of undelivered postal articles at office of director.
39. Final disposal of undelivered postal articles.
CHAPTER VIII
Ship and Aircraft Letters.
25. Power to intercept notified goods during transmission by post.
26. Power to intercept postal articles for public good.
27. Power to deal with postal articles from abroad bearing fictitious or previously used stamps.
27.A Prohibition of transmission by post of certain newspapers.
27.B Power to detain newspapers and other articles being transmitted by post.
27.C Procedure for disposal by High Court of applications for release of newspapers and articles so
detained.
27.D Jurisdiction barred.
CHAPTER VI.
Registration, Insurance and Value-Payable Post.
28. Registration of postal articles.
29. Power to make rules as to registration.
30. Insurance of postal articles.
31. Power to require Insurance of postal articles.
32. Power to make rules as to insurance.
33. Liability in respect of postal articles insured.
34. Transmission by post of value-payable postal articles.
35. Power to make rules as to value-payable postal articles.
36. Power to give effect to arrangements with other countries.
CHAPTER VII.
Undelivered Postal Articles.
37. Power to make rules as to disposal of undelivered postal articles.
38. Disposal of undelivered postal articles at office of director.
39. Final disposal of undelivered postal articles.
CHAPTER VIII
Ship and Aircraft Letters.
40. Duty of master of ship and pilot of aircraft, departing from any port or place in the Union of Myanmar, and
not being a mail ship or mail aircraft, to convey mail bags.
41. Duty of master of ship or pilot of aircraft arriving at any port or place in the Union of Myanmar in respect
of postal articles and mail bags on board.
42. Allowance of gratuities for conveyance of postal articles by ships or aircraft other than mail ships or mail
aircraft.
(iii)
CHAPTER IX
Money Orders.
43. Power to maintain money-order system and to make rules as to remittances thereby.
44. Power for remitter to recall money-order or alter name of payce.
45. Power to provide for the issue of postal-orders.
46. Power to give effect to arrangements with other countries.
47. Recovery of money-order paid to the wrong person.
48. Exemption from liability in respect of money-orders.
CHAPTER X
Penalties and Procedure.
Offences by Officers of the Post Office.
49. Penalty for misconduct of person employed to carry or deliver mail bags or postal articles.
50. Penalty for voluntary withdrawal from duty, without permission or notice, of person employed to carry
or deliver mail bags or postal articles.
51. Penalty for making false entry in register kept by person employed to carry deliver or postal articles.
52. Penalty for theft, dishonest misappropriation, secretion, destruction or throwing away of postal articles.
53. Penalty for opening, detaining or delaying postal articles.
54. Penalty for fraud in connection with official marks and for receipt of excess postage.
55. Penalty for fraudulently preparing, altering, secreting or destroying post office documents.
56. Penalty for fraudulently sending unpaid postal articles.
57. * * * *
Other Offences.
58. Penalty for contravention of section 4.
59. Penalty for contravention of section 5.
60. Penalty for breach of rules under section 16.
61. Penalty for contravention of section 19 or 20.
62. Penalty for defiling or injuring post office letter-boxes.
63. Penalty for affixing without authority a thing to, or panting, tarring or disfiguring post office or post
office letter-box.
64. Penalty for making false declaration.
65. Penalty for master of ship or pilot of aircraft failing to comply with the provisions of section 40 or 41.
66. Penalty for detention of letters on board vessel or aircraft arriving in port or place in the Union of
Myanmar.
67. Penalty for detaining mails or opening mail bag.
68. Penalty for retaining postal articles wrongly delivered or mail bags.
69. Penalty for unlawfully diverting letters.
General.
70. Penalty for abetting, or attempting to commit , offences under Act.
71. Property in cases of offences to be laid in the post office.
72. Authority for prosecutions under certain sections of Act.
CHAPTER XI
Supplemental.
73. District posts.
74. General power to make rules and provisions as to rules under Act.
75. ----------tion of powers, other than rule-making powers, to Director.
THE FIRST SCHEDULE – Inland Postage Rates.
(1)
MYANMAR POST OFFICE ACT.
(INDIA ACT,VI, 1898.) (1st July , 1898)
CHAPTER I.
Preliminary.
Extent and application.
73. District posts.74. General power to make rules and provisions as to rules under Act.
75. ----------tion of powers, other than rule-making powers, to Director.
THE FIRST SCHEDULE – Inland Postage Rates.
(1)
MYANMAR POST OFFICE ACT.
(INDIA ACT,VI, 1898.) (1st July , 1898)
CHAPTER I.
Preliminary.
Extent and application.
1. This Act extends to the whole of the Union of Myanmar and applies also to all citizens of the Union wherever
they may be.
Definitions.
2. In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,-
2(a). the expression " Director" means the Director of Post;
(b). the expression " Inland" used in relation to a postal article, means-
(i) Posted in the Union of Myanmar and addressed to any place in the Union of Myanmar or to any place for
President of the Union beyond the limits of the Union of Myanmar; or
(ii) Posted at any post office established by the President of the Union beyond the limits of the Union of
Myanmar and addressed to any place for which any such post office is established or to any place in the
Union of Myanmar:
Provided that the expression "Inland" shall not apply to any class of postal articles which may be specified in
this behalf by the President of the Union by notification in the Gazette, when posted in or at or addressed to any
places or post offices which may be described in such notification;
(c) The expression "mail bag" includes a bag, box, parcel or any other envelope or covering in which postal
articles in course or transmission by post are conveyed, whether it does or does not contain any such
article;
(d) The expression "mail ship" means a ship employed for carrying mails, pursuant to contract or continuing
arrangement , by the Government of the Union of Myanmar or His Britannic Majesty's Government or the
Government of any British possession or foreign country;
(dd) The expression "mail aircraft" means an aircraft, as defined in the Myanmar Aircraft Act, employed for
carrying mails pursuant to a contract or continuing arrangement, by the Government of the Union of
Myanmar. His Britannic Majesty's Government or the Government of any British possession or foreign
country;
(e) The expression "officer of the post office" includes any person employed in any business of the post office
or on behalf of the post office;
1. Substituted by the Union of Myanmar (Adaptation of Laws) Order, 1948.
2. Substituted by Act XXXV, 1950.
Inserted by Act VIII, 1944.
(f) The expression "postage" means the duty chargeable for the transmission by post of postal articles,
(g) The expression "postage stamp " means any stamp provided by the president of the Union for denoting
postage or other fees or sums payable in respect of postal articles under this Act, and includes adhesive
postage stamps and stamps printed, embossed, impressed or otherwise indicated on any envelope,
wrapper, postcard or other article;
(h) The expression "post office " includes every house, building , room , carriage or place used for the
purposes of the post office, and every letter-box provided by the post office for the reception of postal
articles;
(i) The expression "postal article " includes a letter, postcard, new-paper, book, patern or sample packet,
parcel , parcel and every article or thing transmissible by post;
(j) * * * *
(k) The expression "the post office " means the department established for the purpose of carrying the
provisions of this Act into effect and presided over by the (Director).
3. For the purposes of this Act,..
(a) A postal article shall be deemed to be in course of transmission by post from the time of its being
delivered to a post office to the time of its being delivered to the addressee or of its being returned to the
sender or otherwise disposed of under Chapter VII;
Meanings of "in course of transmission by post" and " delivery".
(b) The delivery of a postal article of any description to a postman or other person authorized to receive postal
articles of that description for the post shall be deemed to be a delivery to a post office; and
(c) The delivery of a postal article at the house or office of the addressee or to the addressee or his servant or
agent ,or other person considered to be authorized to receive the article according to the usual manner of
delivering postal articles to the addressee , shall be deemed to be delivery to the addressee.
CHAPTER II .
Privilege and protection of the Government .
Exclusive privilege of conveying letters reserved to the Government.
4.
(1) Wherever within the Union of Myanmar posts or postal communication are established by the President
of the Union, the President of the Union shall have the exclusive privilege of conveying by post, from one
place to another, all letters, except in the following cases, and shall also have the exclusive privilege of
performing all the incidental services of receiving, collecting, sending, despatching and delivering all
letters, except in the following cases, that is to say;
1. In this Act the word " Director " was substituted for the word " Director- General " by Act XXXV, 1950.
(a) Letters sent by a private friend in his way, journey or travel, to be delivered by him to the person to whom
they are directed, without hire, reward or other profit or advantage for receiving, carrying or delivering
them;
(b) Letters solely concerning the affairs of the sender or receiver there, sent by a messenger on purpose;
(c) Letters solely concerning goods or property, sent either by sea or by land (or by air)1, to be delivered with
the goods or property which the letters concern, without hire, reward or other profit or advantage for
receiving, carrying or delivering them;
Provided that nothing in this section shall authorize any person to make a collection of letters excepted as
aforesaid for the purpose of sending them otherwise than by post.
(2) For the purposes of this section and section 5, the expression "letters" includes postcards.
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Certain persons expressly forbidden to convey letters .
5. Wherever within the Union of Myanmar posts or postal communications are established by the President of
the Union, the following persons are expressly forbidden to collect, carry, tender or deliver letters, or to
receive letters for the purpose of carrying or delivering them ,although they obtain no hire, reward or
other profit or advantage for so doing, that is to say:-
(a) common carriers of passengers or goods, and their servants or agents, except as regards letters solely
concerning goods in their carts or carriges; and
(b) (Owners and masters of vessels and pilots or other persons in charge of aircraft)2 sailing or passing on
any river or canel in the Union of Myanmar, or between any parts or places in the Union of Myanmar, and
their servants or agents , except as regards letters solely concerning goods on board, and except as
regards postal articles received for conveyance under Chapter VIII.
Exemption from liability for loss misde- livery,delay or damage.
6. The Government shall not incur any liability by reason of the loss, misdelivery or delay of , or damage to
,any postal article in course of transmission by post, except in so far as such liability may in express terms
be undertaken by the Government as here in after provided; and no officer of the post office shall incur
any liability by reason of any such loss , misdelivery , delay or damage , unless he has caused the same
fraudulently or by his willful act or default.
____________________________________________________________________________
1. Added by Act VIII, 1944.
2. Substituted ibid;
CHAPTER III.
Postage.
Power to fix rates of inland postage.
7.
(1) The President of the Union may, by notification in the Gazette, fix the rates of postage and other sums
to be charged in respect of postal articles sent by the inland post under this Act . and may make rules as
to the scale of weights, terms and conditions subject to which the rates so fixed shall be charged:
Provided that the highest rate of postage, when prepaid , shall not exceed the rate set forth for each class
of postal articles in the First Schedule.
(2) Unless and until such notification as aforesaid is issued, the rates set forth in the said schedule shall be
the rates chargeable under this Act.
