Maungdaw: A Nasaka commander on the western Burma border has been raking in over 10 million Kyat per month by illegally renting out mobile phones that are on Bangladesh networks to local businessmen, said a police officer from Maungdaw on condition of anonymity.
"Major Nay Myo, commander-in-charge of Nasaka Area No. 7, is renting 70 Bangladesh mobile telephone sets to local businessmen for 150,000 Kyats per month for a phone. He earns at least10 million kyat per month from this," he said.
Nasaka Area No. 7 is located in Myin Lwet Village in southern Maungdaw Township, where Major Nay Myo is a powerful governing official.
The military authorities in western Burma do not allow either the public or government officials to use phones of Bangladesh networks in Burmese territory.
"Many businessmen on the western Burma border need Bangladesh network mobile phones to communicate with the outside world because Burmese network phones are very expensive and are under tight restriction. Major Nay Myo has used the opportunity to rent Bangladesh network mobile sets to local businessmen illegally,” the source said.
Some businessmen in the area have opened public phone booths in their respective villages to earn money from people, who use the phones to call the outside world.
A villager from Ali Than Kyaw said, "We have to pay 200 Kyat per minute to the telephone shops when we use the phones to call Bangladesh. The phone shops are able to open in the village freely because they give 150,000 Kyats per month to Major Nay Myo to rent the telephone sets."
On the western Burma border, the authorities seize Bangladesh mobile phones whenever they see people using it, but those who rent the phone sets from Nay Myo are able to own and operate the phones openly without any hassles.
According to a police source, Major Nay Myo has rented 10 phone sets in Ali Than Kyaw Village, seven phone sets in Myint Lwat, seven phone sets in Kayin Dan Village, three sets in Kan Puu Village, three sets in Chin Khali Village, two sets in Wat Cha and Than Da Villages, along with others in many villages throughout Maungdaw Township.
It is learnt that due to the potential for high profits, such a phone rental business is not only dabbled in by Major Nay Myo but also other Nasaka officials in western Burma.
