Corrupt local authorities allow illegal motorbikes

Corrupt local authorities allow illegal motorbikes

Marn, IMNA
Jan 16, 2006

Authorities in southern Burma have been allowing import of motorcycles
illegally without batting an eyelid. As long as palms of the local
officials are greased such activities are allowed in the township and
areas they control.

On January 14, Burma's Na Sa Ka (Border Security Force) from Rangoon
joined the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and seized 46
illegally imported motorbikes from Myawadi. The two wheelers were
seized on the way to Moulmein, the capital of Mon state.

Local traders are known to join hands with the local military
government authorities in freely bringing in illegal motorbikes from
neighbouring Thailand. The authorities take bribes worth thousands of
kyat from traders and allow them to go through their checkpoints.

The local traffic police take 30,000 kyat for each motorbike and allow
it to travel freely in their area, according to the bike owners.

"The USDA in our town gets about 10,000 kyat as a share from the
traffic police for a motorbike," a Union Solidarity and Development
Association (USDA) member said.

After getting paid, the traffic police provide a document, which says
that they would look after the motorbike. Local people who own illegal
motorbikes keep the document and can travel freely in the township.
Almost all traffic policemen in southern Mon State, Karen State and
northern Thanin Tharyee Division are up to their neck in corruption.

Because of the illegal motorbikes, price of licensed motorcycles have
gone down. Last year licensed motorbikes were priced at 2.9 million
kyat. Now it has dropped to 2.4 million kyat.

However, price of Illegal motorbikes has jumped to 1.3 million kyat
now. It stood at around 0.7 million kyat during the military
government's crackdown on illegal cars and motorcycles in March and
May 2005.

In March 2005 the military regime passed a law to sentence and fine
people who imported illegal motorbikes and cars.

Currently, the regime is no longer pushing this law so more and more
such illegal motorcycles are available

Sometime the local authorities do crack down on these bikes. But they
just take about 20,000 kyat as fine and give back the bike.

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