Narinjara News, 22March 2023

The military council continues enforcing various laws against the transportation of specific goods fromthe mainland Burma to Rakhine Statethrough land routes.

Local businessmen and truck drivers reported that despite the informal cease-fire between the Arakan Army (AA)and the military rulers in RakhineState, the restrictions are still ongoing on over various items like cooking oil, building material,furniture, electronic equipment,medicines etc.

“Transporting electronic goods may require a small fee, whereas building materials,including cement and medicines, may require certificates. Additionally, many items brought to Rakhine State require necessary approvals from thesecurity and border affairs ministry,”said a truck driver who did not want to be named.

The approval certificate is not required for clothes, beauty products, plastic materials, fabric packaging,and some selected food products.

“Only confectionery products are permitted for import, while allother typesof food must be accompanied by the appropriate approval documents”, said another motorist.

Even with an approval certificate, the large trucks transporting goods must pay some fees to the checkpointsalong Yangon-Sittwe highway. According to a seller of building materials, only those with the certificates are permitted through thehighway bus stations.

Locals have alleged that the prices of many essential commodities are rising because of unreasonablerestrictions on the way.

“The price of medicine fluctuates frequently, but it rarelydrops. Now,I have to pay increasingly high prices for the medicines I have been taking for years.Similarly, the price of cooking oil has also become a concern as it requires carefulbudgeting. Since 2021, the costof goods has consistently risen and showed no sign of decreasing,” said a housewife from Sittwe township.

The motorists have alleged that the security forces have established multiple checkpoints from the west ofRakhine Yoma mountain range to extortmoney from the passengers citing various reasons.

“Transporting furniture products become the most challenging job, even with some improvements in thecheckpoints located in Ann township. Unfortunately,we still have to pay fees to ensure our goods transported smoothly. It's common for all checkpoints to paymoney
whenever goods are transported on the passenger buses. In certain areas, passengers areasked to disembark the bus and walk along the road. Often one passenger is charged Kyats 2000,” informed ahighway bus driver.

Motorists added that the allegations of extortion at checkpointsby theMilitary Council would be validated if the top administrative officers were to ride incivilian cars and observe the situation
firsthand.

Following the resurgence of conflicts with the AA last year, the military council blocked both the roadsand waterways in Rakhine State whichare crucial for the local people. It led to a significant increase in prices of essentialcommodities in the region.

“One of the major factors contributing to the high commodity prices here is the expensive transportationarrangement. The bus fares remain highas the fuel price continues rising. Additionally, numerous checkpoints on the way create moreproblems to the passengers. For
instance, in Myebon township there is a 1100-foot-long bridge over Yaw creek where soldiers have beencollecting toll fees since last month.

They charge Kyats 30000 for a 12-wheeler and Kyats 20000 fora 6-wheeler,” said a local driver.

Taking advantages of the temporary ceasefire, the military council has increased the number of checkpoints onthe main road. These checkpointshave created difficulties in importing various goods.

Narinjara News tried to get comments from the Rakhine State government regarding the current circumstances,but no one responded. Despite contactingRakhine State security and border affairs minister colonel Kyaw Thura, it failed to get anyanswer.