The deadline to apply for motorcycle licenses by owners of illegal Chinese-made motorcycles in Kachin State in northern Burma has been extended by the Burmese ruling junta. The four-month period to apply and acquire licenses expired on October 31. The fresh deadline is November 30, said local sources.
Myitkyina the capital of Kachin State boasts the highest number of unlicensed Chinese motorcycles in the state. Officials issued over 43,000 new motorcycle licenses between July and October before the new deadline came into force, said Myitkyina residents.
A new motorcycle owner in Myitkyina said new motorcycle licenses were issued on two consecutive working days in the township. The licenses were jointly drawn up by the personnel in the junta's Transport and Custom offices. Their office is temporarily set up in the sports hall in the Kachin State Football Stadium in the township.
A license is costing between 150,000 Kyat (est. US $123) and 200,000 Kyat (est. US $164) depending on how old the motorcycles are and its model, according to Myitkyina residents.
Motorcycle owners, not wanting to take the trouble of going to the office, can get the licenses done by bribing personnel in the office with 10,000 Kyat to 15,000 Kyat (est. US $8 - $12). The owners can get motorcycle license easily after producing their National Registration Cards, added locals.
"The motive behind junta's fast and easy issuance of motorcycle licenses to civilians is very clear. It proposes to net as much revenue from civilians as it possibly can by issuing motorcycle licenses to unlicensed ones," a two wheeler seller in Myitkyina said.
In the past, motorcycle licenses were issued at least a month after an application was submitted to the government along with oil subsidy tickets. But the license had to be applied for with the motorcycle owners' National Registration Cards (NRC) and Family Unit Documents (Ing-htaung-su), said locals.
The Chinese-made motorcycles of poor quality mainly enter Burma from Muse in northeast Shan State, the official border gate and several illegal border gates controlled by the Kachin ceasefire groups in Kachin State.
