The traders said the naval ships stationed at the mouth of the Sat Roe Kya Creek and at the Palee Pauk in the Kaladan River are charging illegal toll taxes for row and engine boats bringing local products to the markets in Sittwe.

"We are just trading our local products such as fruit, vegetables, food stuffs, and commodities from the other areas and transporting them to Sittwe in engine and row boats, but the naval ships deployed on our waterway will not allow any boats past their stations without paying a fee to them," said the trader on condition of anonymity.

He added that the naval ship at the Palee Pauk first collects 10,000 Kyat from an engine boat and 5,000 Kyat from a row boat when they pass, and then another naval ship at the mouth of the Sat Roe Kya Creek will also take similar amounts before the boats enter Sittwe.

It has already been more than a decade since those naval vessels have been collecting illegal taxes after they were deployed by the naval base in Sittwe on the pretense of boosting waterway security during the tenure of the last military regime.

Another trader said illegal taxation by security and military forces became rampant in their state during the last government. Most local residents had expected such extortions by government forces would cease with the transition to the new regime, but it has continued unabated.

"We hoped that the situation would be a bit better after forming the new government, but nothing has changed so far. The forces, including naval ships deployed along the way to Sittwe, are still continuing to extort toll taxes from our trading boats coming from different areas in our state. They have been collecting the tolls as if they are checking the licenses of our boats, and as we fear their foul play, we have to pay their charges," he said.

Most of the boats are coming from the areas of the Kaladan and Laymro River basins to import agricultural products and other commodities produced in their area to the markets in Sittwe.

According to the traders, they also have to pay the respective police forces and village administrators for unloading their goods from their boats at the ports they've anchored at.

They have to pay 3,000 Kyat for an engine boat and 1,500 Kyat for a row boat to the police force and 1,500 Kyat for an engine boat and 500 Kyat for a row boat to the village administrators, and no boat is allowed to unload their goods at the ports unless the charges are paid.

The sources added that they also have to pay tolls to the police and village administrators for the goods that are bought from Sittwe to bring back to their areas.

"We also have to pay for loading goods bought in Sittwe to bring back to our areas. We have to pay 3,000 Kyat for a barrel of diesel, 3,000 Kyat for a barrel of petrol, 1,000 Kyat for a bag of pulses, and 500 Kyat each for a bundle of clothes and groceries," said the trader.

According to the traders, the local people have been suffering from constant price hikes for commodities and food in Arakan State due to the enormous toll taxes being collected illegally by the authority's forces and personnel.

They said the state government is aware of the illegal taxation by government forces in the state, but is still unable to forbid the forces from collecting unauthorized toll taxes on honest traders working to maintain their livelihoods.