Local authorities in Kali-sub township in Kunhing township of Shan State South, where the Burma Army’s new regional command headquarters will be based, are forcibly collecting money from local shop owners and vehicles that pass through the area ...
Local authorities in Kali-sub township in Kunhing township of Shan State South, where the Burma Army’s new regional command headquarters will be based, are forcibly collecting money from local shop owners and vehicles that pass through the area, to support the daily wages of their construction workers, according to local sources.
At present, the junta authorities are busy constructing their camps and buildings which are under its military expansion program. The buildings are assigned by Naypyitaw to be finished within 6 months as of January, a local village headman in Kali said.
“They [the junta authorities] hired local villagers both inside and outside the areas to help working in their constructions day and night. Each worker received between Kyat 2,500 (US$ 2.94) and 3,000 (US $ 3.5) per day, working from 5am to 5 pm,” he said.
According to him, there are over 100 workers participating in the construction each day, which demands lots of money to spend for their wages. Since the construction started each vehicle is required to pay at least Kyat 3,000 for each trip and while a shop is being asked to pay at least Kyat 100, 000 (US$ 117) as a donation to local municipal officers and police officers, said a local shop keeper.
“They [junta authorities] set up many toll gates in order to collect contributions from vehicles. In the past, there were no gate and checkpoint to pay when the area was controlled by former Shan ceasefire army (Shan State Army ‘North’s 7th Brigade that had accepted to become junta militia force), she said.
The Burma Army’s camp construction has been conducted in Kali and Mongzang of Monghsu township where the SSA North’s First Brigade that spurned the ruling junta’s demand to go along with the BGF program is active.
Recently, about 300 acres of farms and lands of people those residing near the planned site were also confiscated by the local authorities for the newly installed “Middle East” regional command.
Yesterday, Brig-General Myat Htun Oo, the new regional commander of the Middle East Region Command, unidentified Kunhing area commander and Maung Maung Ohn, Chief of People’s Militia and Border Forces Directorate, reportedly arrived in the area and inspected the development of the new constructions and their old camps, according to local sources.
