The military council has reportedly banned passenger buses travelling between Kale in Sagaing Region and Tedim and Rikhawdar in Chin State from passing through the 9-mile checkpoint, creating difficulties for bus lines and passengers.
Those who want to go to Tedim or Rikhawdar have to take the Kale-Khaikam-Thaingngen route, but since the military council no longer allows them to pass through the 9Mile checkpoint on the Chin-Sagaing border, buses have to take a detour, a bus terminal official said.
“Junta soldiers close the 9Mile checkpoint in the afternoon but reopen it in the evening. We have to check in advance whether they will open or close it. If they open it, the buses can take the route. If they don’t, they have to take a detour”
Currently, transportation costs and bus fares have almost doubled because vehicles have to travel longer distances.
The bus fare for one person to Kale or Rikhawdar has recently increased from MMK 30,000 to MMK 80,000-100,000.
Reportedly, a bribe of about 100,000 MMK is demanded from each passenger bus to pass the 9-mile checkpoint.
“Bus fares have gone up because junta soldiers are demanding money at the 9-mile checkpoint. The Thaingngen checkpoint also charges money, up to 100,000 MMK per passenger bus.”
Clashes between the junta troops and Chin’s defence forces along the Kale-Tedim-Rikhawdar Road, which connects border trade route 2 on India-Myanmar border, have often resulted in frequent closures of the route. The most recent ban on the use of the route was the result of fighting that lasted from 18 to 25 April.
CDM Siyin, a local defence unit, later announced that the Kale-Tedim-Rikhawdar road had been reopened since 26 April, but the military council continued to prohibit passage through the 9Mile checkpoint.
Although the trip to Tedim takes only about three hours, passengers have to spend the night on the way because buses are not allowed to pass the checkpoint until after 4 pm, a local resident said.
“I don’t know why they are doing like that. If the buses are allowed to pass only in the evening, we will arrive in Tedim at night. But there is a curfew there, so we have to spend the night halfway and can only continue in the morning,” he said.
According to reports, the bus ride from Kale to Tedim costs up to MMK 25,000 per person.
Sent by KMG.