The Myanmar army checkpoint on the east bank of the Sittaung River in Taungoo District, Bago Region, has required vehicles passing through the military checkpoint with large numbers of rice bags to obtain a transport permit, while junta soldiers are also demanding money from vehicles with extra cargo, locals report.
A local who has to pass the bridge regularly said, “They (the military council soldiers) don’t ask for a specified amount, but random amount. It doesn’t cost much to get a letter of permission, but not everyone is allowed to transport a large amount of rice. And they don’t issue such a permit to everyone either”
The resident went on to explain that while all vehicles passing through the Sittaung River Bridge are required to pay a toll at the junta checkpoint, those in possession of a permission letter are charged depending on the number of bags of rice.
At some junta checkpoints, clothes, including children’s belongings, were confiscated, and some people had to pay a certain amount of money to get their things back, said a local woman.
“They checked the clothes donated by others at the checkpoint and confiscated them without returning them. We had to pay them 40,000 kyat to get them back. Last time, baby diapers worth more than 200,000 kyat were confiscated,” the woman said.
Similar restrictions on food and medical supplies at Myanmar army checkpoints in Karen State have also disrupted the flow of goods, posing further challenges for people helping the displaced in the face of rising commodity prices, according to civil society organizations.
Under the current circumstances, CSOs face security threats from the military council if they want to provide assistance to the IDPs and hope to get permission to bring aid across the border, according to a statement from the Back Pack Health Worker Team (BPHWT) after its 9th conference.
Sent by KIC.