Travel taxes imposed in northern Mon State

September 9, 2008

By HURFOM:

Mudon/Thanbyuzayat

The Burmese army is levying new taxes on road users in Mudon and Thanbyuzayat Townships in northern Mon State. According to local sources in Mudon, troops from Artillery Regiment No. 315, began taxing traffic on the Ahbit to Yetagon-Waenaing road. The soldiers, led my Sergeant Myint Htoo Naung, built a checkpoint on the junction near Ahbit village and began levying taxes on July 2^nd.

“They told me to register my bike for 10,000 kyat. Then, they took down information about the brand of my bike and license number and gave me a card granting me permission to use the road. Each time I pass this gate, I have to show this card,” reports A Kyaw, a 30 year-old farmer who recently had to register his motorcycle. “150 to 200 farmers from just Hneepadaw village use this road, and most of them ride motorcycles. The soldiers will make a lot of money.”

The new tax affects farmers from Hneepadaw, Yaung Daung, Doe Mar, Kwan Hlar, Set Twe and Ahbit villages, who must use the ten-mile stretch of road to access their rubber plantations. People traveling on foot report that they are not required to pay the tax if they are recognized by soldiers at the check point, but unknown travelers have had to pay between 300 and 500 kyat to pass the checkpoint.

Protection is being used as a pretext for the extortion, says a local farmer, who reports that he was told the money was for a “security tax.” “A Captain replied that they are providing the security for us to work safely. The costs of registering motorbikes are to be used to pay for the security expenses of the troops,” adds Soi Jow, a 35 year-old landowner from Doe Mar village. The area has, however, been without rebel activity for four years, since an alleged attack on the Kanbauk-Myinekalay pipeline resulted in its weeklong closure in 2004.

The tax is the first of its kind in northern Mon State and, for plantation owners who typically make between 30,000 to 40,000 kyat in a month, represents a significant loss of income. According to a HURFOM field reporter, A Kyaw complained about the tax to higher officers in No. 315, with no success. Soi Jow confirms this report, adding that a captain from No. 315 threatened to shut down access to the road if more complaints were received.

Farmers in Thanbyuzayat Township report a similar situation; soldiers in Infantry Battalion No. 318, led by Commander Aye Hlaing, recently began requiring villagers to purchase travel permits for the area around Waekalee, Kyaik Pun and Wae Ton Gyaung villages.

“The identity cards only cost 500 Kyat per person, but they only allow us to be on our farms from six in the morning until six at night,” reports Nai Noe, 65, a farmer from the area. This is unacceptable to farmers, who wish to protect their land from wild animals and thieves at night. “We have invested a lot of money in our plantations,” added Nai Noe. “Who will take care of them at night?” Last year, No. 318 also collected a tax of 700 kyat per tree per year. Because a typical plantation can be a home to between 600 and 2,000 trees, the tax generated significant income for the battalion The combined effect on plantation owners has been, however, less positive, and many have expressed a desire to sell their farms and change professions.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News