Independent Mon News Agency

Demanding Illegal Money From Motorbikers

March 31, 2004

The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and No.5 Intelligence in Mon State not allowing people to use it new kind of license called Mon State motorbike licenses in the future and they are announcing to the people to change using Mon state license to Mawlamyine City license.

There are 30,000 more illegal motorbikes in Mon State without licenses that imported from China and Thailand. The SPDC produced for these motorbikes Mon State motorbike licenses for driving, called Ma Pa Na at the end of year 2003.

 Before the SPDC produced the Mon State Licenses, they produce Mawlmyine city license called Ma La Ma for the people. But Mon Sate SPDC and No. 5 intelligence stopped produce Mawlmyine city license since year 2000. Now they also repealed Ma Pa Na licenses after held meeting on March 25.

After the meeting No.5 intelligence is announcing to the people in Mon State who hold the Ma Pa Na license to change using Mawlamyine license, called Ma La Ma and they will pay back the money that people paid when they apply for Ma Pa Na license.

In the MI announcement, people who use Ma Pa Na will get back 10,000 kyat. But if they want to get a Ma La Ma license, they will have to pay more than 100,000 kyat.

Currently people who live in Mawlamyine started to register for Mawlamyine licenses at the SPDC Highway Transportation Department and because of high payment for the Ma La Ma license, the people are complaining about it.

The authority demanded money for motorbikes made in 2004 and 2003 and made the owners pay 180,000 kyat. For 2000, 2001 and 2002 model motorbikes, the owners have to pay between 130,000 and 140,000 kyat.

People are afraid of the authority’s tactics because they realized that the Mon State license doesn’t last very long. Today it is invalid. To make a new license costs too much, according to people who own motorbikes.

People say it seems that they have to believe the ceasefire released license because they can't believe the SPDC's license.

People used to use the ceasefire license before the Ma Pa Na released.

After the ceasefire group and SPDC negotiated to make a new license, people did not use ceasefire groups license any more.

Many people have motorbikes in Mon State. The authority stopped giving licenses in the past and demanded illegal money from people who didn’t have a license. After they released Ma Pa Na they stopped releasing driving license again and fining on people who did not have driving license for the pocket money.

The authority stated that people with Ma Pa Na license can go freely before they released it to attract the people to make it. After the people made Ma Pa Na license the authority only allowed people to drive in their own town areas banned freely go to around Mon State. If the people went to other areas they fined by the authority. The authorities also disturbed to the people who using ceasefire group license because the authority would like to create problems.

Like to motorbike, the SPDC authorities allow people to import the illegal car from Thailand, but they banned releasing license for the illegal car and seizing the illegal car from the people to make their own.

Dear Reader,

IMNA wrote the date in Burmese Story under the headline

(Independent Mon News Agency March 31, 2003 ) to change read (Independent Mon News Agency March 31, 2004)

Best Wish

IMNA Editor