Maungdaw, Arakan State: A Burmese Army battalion stationed on the Burma-Bangladesh border for providing security for fencing ordered villagers to supply rations, said a village authority.

The order came from Infantry Battalion (IB) 253 stationed in Ngarkhuya village under the Burmese border security force (Nasaka) area number 5, at the Monastery compound in the first week of January, the village authority said.

The battalion, which came to the area from Buthidaung last year, was taking food from fish ponds along the border, but, after complaints of the fishery company to the authorities, the battalion had to stop, said a fishery owner.

Since the beginning of this year, the battalion ordered the village authorities to supply ration monthly to the tune of Kyat 150,000 per village tract, said a local elder from Ngarkhuya village.

Some village authorities have already sent the monthly quota of ration and some are finding it difficult to fulfill the quota as the villagers are very poor and cannot pay the money monthly, the elder said.

“I work as a daily labour and get only 2000 Kyat per day and I have five family members. Now, the village authority is asking money for the army. How can I give the money?” asked a daily labour from Nasaka area 5.

“If it is one time, we will try to give the money, but now the village authority is asking for it monthly,” said a school teacher from Nasaka area 5.

“We are working as civil servants and getting salary, which is not enough for our survival, if I have to pay for the army how do we survive?” he asked.

“If it is one time, we will collect from our village, but the Army wants monthly supplies, which makes it very difficult,” said a village chairman.