Prisoners from Buthidaung prison located 80 miles north of Sittwe have been forced by prison authorities to work on repairs to the Buthidaung-Maungdaw motor road, which is situated on the western Burmese border close to Bangladesh, said an eyewitness.

The prisoners have been working on the road repairs as forced labour since the road was damaged at the end of June.

"I saw many prisoners at a road repair site near a large cave during the day whenever I went to Maungdaw from my town Buthidaung by rickshaw," he said.

An estimated 50 to 70 prisoners have been working at the reconstruction site every day from 8 am to 6 pm, and spend most of the time carrying earth and stones for the repairs.

"I heard the prison authorities bring them to the work site early in the morning in prison vehicles, and force the prisoners to work until sunset," the eyewitness said.

The Buthidaung-Maungdaw motor road is only 16 miles long, but is an important link for border trade with Bangladesh. Trade on the western Burmese border has been disrupted recently since the motor road suffered from collapsed bridges and blockages.

The road is now being reconstructed under the supervision of the Military Operation Planning Bureau based in Buthidaung, and the prison authorities have been sending prisoners to the work sites under the instruction of the commander of the Military Operation Planning Bureau.

Authorities of Maungdaw Township have also been using forced labour in the road construction. At least 50 people from each village located near the Buthidaung-Maungdaw motor road have to go to the road repair site every day, and work without pay. They bring their own food.