Troops extort money from passengers at check points Thu 04 Sep 2008, IMNA
Burmese troops manning gates along Mon to Karen State southern Burma (Myanmar) have been extorting money from passengers in vehicles and strictly checking identity cards of civilians.
Burmese military check points outside Mudon Town take 10,000 Kyat per vehicle which carries passengers who go back from Kya-inn-seik-kyi, Karen State. The vehicle owners collect the money from the passengers after they pay at the gate.
"They (military check point) know which vehicles are carrying travellers coming back from Thailand. And they always extort," said a young traveller to Mudon Town.
The military check points check not only passengers but also their ID, travel document and commodities they are carrying. "They don't allow passengers to leave the gate if they are dissatisfied after inspection," a youth said.
For instance, soldiers from a check point took 6,000 Kyat from two women after threatening them when they went to visit their ailing father.
"Both of them showed their ID. But the soldiers asked for travel documents from Tamort-kanin village Lamine Sub Township (southern Mon State)," an eyewitness said. The two women did not lie to the soldiers at the gate about their travel though some people do lie to avoid illegal tax.
Furthermore Burmese soldiers extorted money from three Cyclone Nargis refugee men even though they showed their recommendation letters with the signature of a Kungyangon Township police officer. They were from Kungyangon Township southern part of Rangoon (Yangon) Division where the cyclone struck on May 2 and 3. They told the soldiers at the gate that they did not have IDs and only have recommendation letters from the police because they were Muslims.
All of them were seeking jobs and they had been starving for about three days during their travel from their town to the border. So, they could not pay the amount the soldiers asked, which was 2,000 Kyat per person.
"The soldiers threatened to detain them at the spot if they could not pay though the three men pleaded with the soldiers saying they did not have that kind of money," the eyewitness added.
Troops at the Burmese gates extort money from passengers from Kyainnseikyi Township Karen State till Mudon, Mon State highway.
