The economic hardship of civilians in Burma is directly connected to the Burmese ruling junta’s activities where it accumulates money from its people under different pretexts, said local businessmen.
Kachin State's capital Myitkyina has supplied electricity by the KIO-run Mali Hka.
In Burma’s northern Kachin State, endowed with plenty of natural resources, the people are living under unusual economic hardship at the moment coupled by the current world economic crisis, said local people.
From July to November last year, the junta issued licenses for low-quality Chinese motorcycles where the junta earned at least 8,000 million Kyat equivalent to US $ 8,121,827 from some 35,000 motorcycle owners in Myitkyina alone, the capital of Kachin State, said local businessmen.
Depending on the models and type of motorcycles, the license fee is between 150,000 Kyat and 300,000 Kyat for each motorcycle, said residents of Bhamo and Myitkyina, the two main cities in Kachin State.
In Bhamo and Myitkyina towns the junta issued licenses to over 50,000 Chinese motorcycles which were imported from the Sino-Burma border, according to businessmen in the two towns.
Residents of Bhamo and Myitkyina Township said cheap and low-quality Chinese motorcycles are essential for every family. Every family in the two townships own at least one or two motorcycles, added residents from the two townships.
Eyewitnesses in Myitkyina said junta officials shipped many sacks of currency notes in aircrafts and transported it to Naypyidaw from the Myitkyina public airport in late last year.
On the other hand, residents of Myitkyina except soldiers in Burmese military bases and government personnel have arranged for much-needed electricity supply completely with their own money under the self-planned system since last year, said locals.
Before electricity is supplied to their houses, residents have to give hundreds of thousands of Kyat as advance to the Buga Company which is owned by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the main Kachin ceasefire group in the State which distributes electricity in Myitkyina, added residents.
At the moment, the Buga Company has received over 700 million Kyat equivalent to US $ 710,660 as advance money from residents of Myitkyina for supply of electricity and more and more civilians’ houses are lighted by Buga Company’s power supply, said a businessman in Myitkyina.
Electricity began to be distributed in Myitkyina from Mali River Hydropower plant which is run by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), since 2006.
Civilians are having to face rising costs in every sphere including education, health and other government services. The economic hardships are borne by the people in Kachin State rather than the members of the junta, said local traders and businessmen.
