Mizzima: Dhaka- Smuggled goods from

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Smuggled goods from Burma, worth Kyat 500 lakhs seized by Bangladesh
authorities

Mizzima News Group
Dhaka, February 28, 2000

Smuggled goods from Burma, worth of more than Taka 80 lakhs (Burmese
Kyat nearly Kyat 500 lakhs) were seized by Bangladesh police on a motor
road nearby Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. Two truck-loads of Chinese-made
towels, torchlight, batteries, shoulder bags and Burmese goods were
seized in the morning of February 26 by a squad of anti-smuggling
Bangladesh police and two Bangladesh nationals were arrested in
connection with this.

Despite Bangladesh and Burma agreed to increase the legal border trade
during a visit of Burmese trade minister Lt. Gen. Kyaw Than to
Bangladesh in October 1999, illegal smuggling trade between the two
countries continues to grow.

It is learnt that many Burmese traders prefer to do illegal trade as
they have to pay tax with US dollar (US one hundred dollar is equivalent
to Kyat 35,000 to 38,000 in black-market) to the Burmese authorities and
bribe the authorities of both sides in the legal trade. Moreover,
traders from Bangladesh side are lately giving low price for the goods
coming from Burma.

According to daily newspapers in Dhaka, Bangladesh authorities were able
to seize smuggling goods from Burma worth of Bangladesh Taka hundred and
one million and three lakhs (nearly Kyat 100 crores) in 1999 alone.