The Burmese Army is collecting money from vehicle drivers along the Kale-Tiau on the Indo-Myanmar border of western Burma.

A local said military personnel of the Tidim based LIB 269 have camped in Taingen village situated on the Indo-Myanmar border trade road since August to collect money from vehicle drivers.

The drivers have to pay at least Kyat 1,000 each way. If they refuse to pay the soldiers check everything in the vehicle or they adopt methods to delay passengers, a local in Tidim town said.

There are about eight check gates on the Indo-Myanmar border trade road in Burma, so drivers are forced to pay at least Kyat 1,000 at each gate. They have to shell out Kyat 10,000 a trip.

Normally, eight trucks and four passenger vehicles ply each day on the Indo-Myanmar border road. But during monsoons only one or two passenger carrying jeeps ply each day. Although it takes only one day to the Kale border during other seasons, in the monsoons it takes two or three days. Sometimes passengers meet with life threatening accidents as the road is not maintained by the government.

On August 28 Captain Shew Ko and his soldiers of the LIB 269 seized 23 bulls owned by Mr. Sena and Liana on the Indo-Myanmar border road. They demanded Kyat 18 lakhs to give back the bulls.

Captian Shew Ko and his soldiers had earlier seized 19 bulls from Mr. Lianchinthang of Kozang village on August 10 and demanded Kyat 19 lakhs – 1 lakh per bull. Traders in Burma especially into trading on the Indo-Myanmar border road are angry and frustrated by this kind of extortion.