Ethnic armed groups monopolized buying bamboo-shoot

Independent Mon News Agency

June 18, 2004

Three ethnic armed groups monopolized buying bamboo-shoot this year in Three Pagoda Pass area, opposite of Thailand’s Kanchanburi Province, according to Ms. Mi Mor a former bamboo shoot trader said.

“New Mon State Party, Karen National Union and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (which base in the area) forbid the former bamboo shoot traders to buy bamboo-shoot this year and the armed groups will do buying with their own arrangment today,” Ms. Mor added.

“About ten traders lose opportunity in buying it and they lost their jobs, and they will also lose money that they lend to the bamboo-shoot collectors” said Ms. Mor who lent 10, 000.00 Baht to bamboo-shoot collecters.

“If we ask the collectors to pay back the money, we are afraid of they wouldn’t pay. If they give the bamboo-shoot we also afraid of trouble being made by the armed group”, Ms. Mor said.

“Today these armed groups start buying bamboo-shoot with price of 2.50 Baht per Kilogram,” Ms. Mi Aye added.

Last year, the traders offered good price for 3.00 Baht per Kilogram and because of competing buying, the traders gave higher price to the bamboo-shoot collectors, those two women traders said.

In this year, the armed groups attempt to control all of the area where the traders bought the bamboo-shoot in the previous years.

Three armed groups are separating in the area for buying bamboo-shoot and KNU will buy in eastern of Three Pagoda Pass-Thanbyuzayat motor road while NMSP plans to buy in western part of motor road. DKBA is controlling buying bamboo shoot in Three Pagoda Pass area.

There are several Mon and Karen villages are situating both sides of the motor road and those villagers have totally relied on cutting of bamboo-shoot during rainy season and sell it to traders came from Thailand. Hundreds tons of bamboo-shoot from Burma are exported to Thailand every year.

There are four bamboo-shoot boiling machines in Three Pagoda Pass and these bamboo-shoot were brought to the central Thailand said Ms. Mor.

A bamboo-shoot trading is a very profitable small business in this area. “We profited at least more than 300, 000 Baht per year,” said Ms. Mor.

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