The anti-alcohol committee in Thangtlang town in Chin state, western Burma issued a new order restricting trafficking of liquor and other alcoholic items in Thangtlang town. The order was issued in early July.
 
The anti-alcohol committee comprises ward heads, church pastors and other VIPs in Thangtlang town. It had issued an order that warned against trafficking in liquor in 2006. It was apparently ineffective as some police and army personnel continue to deal in alcohol.
 
"The prohibition on trafficking of liquor was ineffective as some police and army personnel keep flouting the rules. That's why we had to repeat the order," a member of the anti-alcohol committee in Thangtlang town said.
 
The new order also clarified that the penalty for flouting the order is 15 days in jail and a fine of Kyat 50,000.
 
The authorities of the Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) are cooperating with the anti-alcohol group's operation against trafficking of liquor.
 
Around 15 police and army personnel are into trafficking liquor into Thangtlang from nearby towns – mainly from Hakha, capital of Chin state, said a member of the anti-alcohol committee.
 
In order to check the flow of liquor, the anti-alcohol committee has deployed volunteer groups in every corner of the town.
 
The anti-alcohol group seized around 450 bottles of OB and 400 bottles of whisky in an operation in June and July.
 
To curb legally run liquor shops, churches in Thangtlang collected money from their congregations and bought all the licenses that the authorities issued for legal business in alcohol, a local from Thangtlang said.
 
Meanwhile the number of liquor consumers continues to be high in Thangtlang, according to locals in Thangtlang.
 
At present, the price of OB liquor is Kyat 8000 a bottle in Thangtlang's black market compared to Kyat 3000 a bottle in Hakha.