The Burmese ruling junta's Northern Command Headquarters (NC HQ) based in Myitkyina township, the capital of Kachin state, has been into extortion of money from all cars crossing the Ledo Road in the NC HQ compound, according to local residents.

Earlier this month, military policemen in the NC HQ forcibly collected 500 Kyat equivalent to US dollars 0.4 per car as one way crossing fee at three different places on the Ledo Road also called Stilwell Road. Ledo Road is located inside the military HQ compound and the policemen have been collecting the fee from all civilian cars, passenger cars, trucks and mini-buses, which have to cross the road, a resident of Myitkyina told KNG today.

According to local travellers, who crossed the Ledo Road inside the NC HQ in passenger cars, two military police personnel stand on the roadside at each place and stop all cars and demand 500 Kyat per car without providing any explanation.

The road is the key connecting point between Myitkyina to Danai (Tanai), Hpakant jade mining city, Namti, Mogaung, Mandalay and the rest of lower Burma. Every day over 100 cars cross the road, added Myitkyina residents.

On the other hand, cars crossing Stilwell Road in the NC HQs were banned by the military three months ago, according to residents of Myitkyina.

There are several Burmese military and police checkpoints on the Stilwell Road between Myitkyina and Danai townships and at each check post, police personnel demand money from passenger cars, local travellers said.

In Kachin state, demanding a changeable amount of money from all passenger and cargo cars at the military and multi-government departmental checkpoints on Myitkyina-Laiza road, Myitkyina-Hpakant road and Myitkyina-Putao road, is not unusual, local travellers said.