Extortion in Tha Yet Chaung Township getting worse

September 23, 2024

HURFOM: The military junta, the Karen National Union or the Karen National Liberation Army and the local People’s Defense Forces, or other unnamed resistance forces have installed “security gates” in Tha Yet Chaung Township, Tenasserim Division.

The forces operating these gates have been extorting a huge amount of money from local villagers and motorists.

After the attempted coup, the military junta installed three security gates in Tha Yet Chaung and routinely extorted 50,000 MMK from the drivers of passenger trucks and transportation trucks.

“Both small and big transportation trucks have to pay 50,000 MMK. They have guns so we have to pay money even if we don’t want to,” said a truck driver.

If the drivers refuse to pay the money, the armed forces arrest them and contact their family members to pay the money for their release.

The KNLA and the PDF have also installed security gates in Out Tha Yet Chaung, Boat Taung and Tha Yet Pin Gyi villages and extort between 5,000 to 100,000 MMK per vehicle.

If a vehicle carrying passengers try to cross the Thai-Burma border illegally, each passenger is extorted for a minimum of 50,000 MMK.

In one instance a group of trucks was extorted for up to one million MMK, reported local truck drivers.

“The local villagers have to pay the PDF 1,000 MMK for a bag of charcoal and even 50,000 MMK for a cow. The Tha Yet Pin Gyi Gate extorts 2,000 MMK for a family car and even from one million to three million MMK for a transportation truck,” said a truck driver.

Even small fishermen from the sea nearby Pell Wa village have to pay 1,500 MMK per individual to the resistance armed groups. The groups also extort 30,000 to 500,000 MMK from groups of fishing boats, depending on the number of the boats.

“The Daung Nyi Nay Column (a local resistance armed group) has stationed themselves at the Tha Yet Pin Gyi Gate. It’s a PDF security gate but in reality, they just open the gate to extort money,” said a local woman.

Villagers are in a difficult situation at these security gates where they face being extorted a huge amount of money at a time when other costs have increased significantly

The KNLA and the PDF have established new security gates in Pu Law Township, Tenasserim Division and are extorting huge sums from local villagers and truck drivers.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News