The military council’s maritime checkpoint in Paletwa Township, Chin State, has restricted the transportatoin of medicine and food and demanded money from locals, leaving some 40 ethnic minority villages in difficulty, locals reported.
Military council soldiers stationed on a hill near Tarunaing village in Paletwa township have reportedly opened a checkpoint on the banks of the Kaladan River and are demanding money from boats shipping goods from Kyauktaw.
A Chin man said, “The Khami, Arakan, Chin and Daingnets peoples here have difficulty transporting medicine and food from Kyauktaw to Paletwa. The military checkpoint near Tarunaing restricts the transport of goods and demands money. This is causing difficulties.”
As a result of the military council’s restrictions, about 40 ethnic villages along the Okthalin Chaung, Kalet Chaung and Chin Let Chaung rivers, including Shin Let Wa, Myeik Wa, Meezar, Okthalin, Seti Kaing, Sinoewa and Doechaungwa, are facing difficulties, he said.
The villages are inhabited by Kahmi, Chin, Mizo, Daingnet, Mro, Thet and K’ Cho peoples.
Moreover, for the construction of a permanent military camp, the regime’s soldiers demanded the needed materials such as cement, sand, gravel and also money from the local people. Although they are currently no longer asking for construction materials, they are still demanding MMK 500,000 from motorboats for permission to travel, said a boatman who did not want to be named.
“They demand MMK 500,000 every time from commercial boats coming from Kyauktaw. They return the permit letter immediately when the demanded money is paid. They stop those who don’t want to give the money and delay their journey, and their boats are not allowed to sail,” he said.
Because of the restrictions on the flow of goods, locals say they also face price increases.
The military council reopened the Paletwa-Kyauktaw water channel on 3 Dec. 2022, which had been closed after resumption of fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar Army.
However, since the military checkpoint near Tarunaing village keeps demanding money from the locals under various pretexts, the local population suffers a lot.
The residents of the Paletwa Township live off the Kaladan River and mainly import goods from Kyauktaw.
About 200 soldiers from battalions under the Military Operations Command (MOC) 19 from Mon State are stationed on the hill, and about seven soldiers are present at the checkpoint near the riverbank, where they illegally collect money from boats on the waterway every day, according to travellers on the waterway.
Calls to military council officials seeking comment on the claims made by local people went unanswered.
Sent by Narinjara News.