Maungdaw, Burma: Nasaka, Burma's border security force is earning a lot of money by tendering for Bangladeshi mobile phones among villagers in Maungdaw Township, said a local elder on condition of anonymity.
Major San Lwin Tun, the Commander of Nasaka camp No.15 under Nasaka area No.7 of Maungdaw Township called for tenders from neighboring villagers and gave permission for 2 to 3 mobile phones in one village by taking kyat 0.6 million to one million per village.
The villagers granted permission for mobile phone business, charge kyat 500 per minute from the customer who wants to call neighboring Bangladesh. They also charge kyat 1,000 for 15 minutes for incoming calls from Bangladesh and kyat 2,000 from Middle East countries and Malaysia. The mobile owners charge kyat 1,000 per minute to contact any foreign country except Bangladesh.
The Commander called bids for mobile business from six villagers which are under the command of Nasaka camp No. 15. These villages are Pa Dinn, Ba Gone Nah, Du Nyaung Pin Gyi, Du Chee Yar Tan, Gaw Dhu Thar Ya and Pan Daw Pyin.
The commander Major San Lwin Tun also earns money from villagers by accusing them of border-crossing, involving in human trafficking and illegal trade in narcotic drugs. He also acts as a judge in villages taking money from both of plaintiff and defendant.
Besides, the commander also collects money by paying surprised visits to villages and checking their family and cattle lists. If a buffalo or cow goes up in the list due to birth, the owner will have to pay kyat 15,000 per head. It is kyat 10,000 for a goat. In the same way, the owner will have to pay money to the Nasaka if the owner sells cattle, said a trader in the locality.
A schoolteacher from locality said," The commander becomes millionaire within in short time and his wife send money to her home in Rangoon in every end of the month."
In addition, the villagers have to pay money to Nasaka for the transfer of a bride. There is a tradition in the Rohingya community that the bride is transferred to the bridegroom's house before or after marriage.
