Maungdaw, Arakan State:  The India satellite television company Tata Sky dishes have been installed on the rooftop of the Burma’s border security force (Nasaka)’s camp along the Burma – Bangladesh border, said an aide of Nasaka.

About 25 Nasaka outpost camps and nine sector camps along the border are now using the India made Tata Sky satellite dishes to control information and earn money by showing television programmes, he added.

Since the beginning of August, all officers in the Nasaka outposts and sector camps have been using Tata Sky satellite dishes, which are two feet in diameter on their camp rooftops. The officers are trying to earn money by showing local people movies, sports programmes and other events, said a member of the village authority in Maungdaw south.

Now the Nasaka officers are allowing local people, who came to the Nasaka video show room to watch international football games to bet, where the officers take commission on the betting, he added.

“The Nasaka officer and some of their collaborators are working as bankers or dealers in gambling games in the video centre of the camp where they earn money,” the village official added.

The officers also collect entry fee from local people who went to watch movies or sports programmes, said a student who went to watch a football game. “But, I could not enter the room as the fee is very high at Kyat 500.

The Nasaka officers arranged for the Tata Sky dishes from Bangladesh’s sole agent through their collaborators paying more than Kyat 300,000 (20,000 – 30,000 Taka) to install dishes on the rooftop of camps with the help technicians from the Bangladesh company, said the aide.

The Nasaka officers closed all the video show rooms in their concerned areas after they installed Tata Sky dishes. Individuals have not been permitted to install Tata Sky in their homes, the aide added.

“It is a kind control over foreign media by not giving permission to the public to set up the satellite dish in Maungdaw Township where people can watch all news from other countries,” said a school teacher from Maungdaw.

Tata Sky is a leading Direct-to-Home (DTH) service provider in India, offering DVD quality picture and CD quality sound along with new age interactive services.