Army checkpoints run extortion racket to support the building of a new military camp in Paletwa Chin state

Narinjara News, January 17, 2023

Local businessmen claim that military checkpoints are milking them dry. They not only demand money but also bags of cement, sand, stones and woods from the residents all for the purpose of building a new military base near Tarunaing village in Paletwa township, Chin state.

Passenger boats and cargo barges traveling along the Kaladan River from Paletwa in Chin state to Kyauktaw in Rakhine, also face extortionate demands from a maritime outpost as they pass by Tarunaing village.

“We don’t want to disclose these kinds of issues to the media. But we are telling you this, because we can’t afford it anymore. We just want the people from the top-level to know the situation. In the case of vessels carrying cement, the soldiers demand for cement bags depends on the amount of the cargo.  They demand that for every 50 bags of cement cargo, the soldiers demand 5 bags. They charge 3 bags for 30 cement bags of cargo and 1 bag for 10,” a local explained.

Around 200 Military Council troops are stationed on the mountain near Tarunaing village, and about 7 soldiers extort money from cargo vessels every day at the riverside outpost. In addition to such extortion, the soldiers forced local vessels to transport bricks, sand and stones for free.

 “Such situations are becoming more common these days. Previously the boatmen from Tarunaing had to transport provisions for the soldiers when they went to Kyauktaw to buy goods. Now the troops are also asking for cement. They asked the boatmen to carry sand and stones. It has even become almost a norm, that the boatmen can only go to Kyauktaw , if they are prepared to meet the soldiers demands ”, a local told Narinjara.

The Military Council is building bunkers and dormitories and reinforced concrete buildings with bricks, sand, and stones, at the camp top of the mountain near Tarunaing village.

Soldiers at the maritime outpost used to charge up to 10-lakh kyats, equivalent to the value of 2 tons of wood, for each trip to Kyauktaw to transport goods, another trader said. 

“ The soldiers told the merchants with taking cargo vessels from Tarunaing, that they

would have to pay 10-lakh kyats, if they go to Kyauktaw to load cargo. The amount of money they are demanding is so high, that we merchants have to reconsider whether or not to pay”, he added.

The traders, who have already suffered losses due to being given bags of cement as demanded by the Military Council troops, are no longer willing to pay 10-lakh kyats for trips to Kyauktaw.

The Paletwa-Kyauktaw waterway, which was closed during the period of renewed fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Military Council, was reopened on December 3rd last year, but the Junta troops continue to oppress the people.

 Paletwa residents are heavily dependent on the Kaladan River for their livelihood as well as for importing goods from Kyauktaw.