Twenty illegal car traders from Three Pagodas were arrested by (SA Tone lone), police intelligent group

Independent Mon News Agency

May 10, 2004

(Sa Tone Lone) police intelligent group from Karen State Peace and Development Council arrested twenty of illegal car traders, from Three Pagoda.

Including a township quarter PDC officer, Sa Tone Lone arrested the Traders and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) members and they seized their cars on May 4.

According to a township PDC officer, U Shwe Min, said, “These people were arrested because they imported the car without paying the tax, tried to escape not to meet with Military Southeast Command’s check points when they enter the Mawlamyine town, Mon State city.

All of these people were taken to the Karen State City, Pha An, for examination and they were arrested because of being imported the illegal cars.

Although there were many traders were arrested and their car were seized, and the Southeast Commander ordered to arrest all of the trader and seized all car after April 27, many illegal traders continuously were trading the car in the place of three pagoda area.

From May 6 up to today, more than 70 cars, from Japan and Thailand, were imported to inside Burma on Three Pagoda Road; even the Military Southeast Command seized 26 cars from the traders at the end of April.

MSC seized these cars from Mon Traders who joined with New Mon State Party member, which is the biggest Mon armed group, that made cease-fired with the Burmese government, near Ye township, in southern Mon State.

Mostly, illegal car traders joined with Local ethnic armed group and local military government because they can import the car easily by bribing.

The government authority banned importing the cars since the beginning of last year winter, but the illegal cars are still importing and they imported at least one thousand of cars from Three Pagoda road to inside Burma.

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