Paletwa: Local villagers in Paletwa Township in southwestern Chin State on the Indo-Burmese border are facing hardships and losing their livelihoods after the Burmese army deployed in the area has been monopolizing the bamboo trade.

Army Battalion 289 based in the township has opened a buying center at Mee Wa Village that serves as a central point for bamboo collected in the areas of Chin Lak Creek and Ka Lak Creek on the Indian border.

The army has forced the local villagers who earn their livelihoods by cutting and selling bamboo to sell their products to the center at a low price, said one of the villagers.

"Most of us here are living on cutting and selling bamboo. Now we are facing a great hardship for earning a living because the Burmese army has opened a buying center and forces us to sell our products at a price much lower than the current market price," said the villager.

The army's center pays only 9,000 kyat for 100 bamboo, while the current market price is 20,000 kyat. In addition, they take 1,000 kyat as a tax from the 9,000 paid per 100 bamboo, the source said.

According to local bamboo traders, some of the bamboo forests in the area were widely depleted last year in a natural phenomenon whereby a bamboo plant dies after yielding flowers and fruit once every 50 years.

As the bamboo became scarce in the area and the price has tripled in the local markets, the army has been eyeing the vast profit potential and monopolized the local trade by opening the single buying center in the area.

"We have to sell bamboo to the army's center because the army has threatened to seize and confiscate our products if we do not sell to them. We have no other profession here besides cutting and selling bamboo," said the villager.

"It is now very difficult for us to get 20 bamboo a day because there are no bamboo forests near our village and we have to travel far to find bamboo. Our livelihoods suffer now as we can not earn enough to live no matter how hard we try," he added.