KALADAN NEWS

Dated: Saturday, December 27, 2003.

Kyat 4 Million Bribes to Western Command Commander for A Boat of 37 Cattle

Man-aung, Dec. 27: The Western Command (WC) Commander and Chairman of Arakan State PDC General Maung Oo received an amount of Kyat 4 million as a bribe for a permission of a boat of 37 cattle bringing it to Bangladesh, according to Trader, Maung Saw Kin.

Maung Saw Kin, a cattle trader from Man-aung Township, Arakan State, bought 37 cattle at the rate of Kyat 85,000 per head from Man Aung Township. He wanted to sell them in Bangladesh, so he needed permit from the concerned authorities, he further said.

On December 13, 2003, he sent the boat with cattle to Bangladesh and it reached there on 14^th December 2003. But, the owner Maung Saw Kin arrived at Teknaf, bordering city of Bangladesh to Burma on 15^th December 2003 via Buthidaung-Maungdaw Townships, said Bodi, Bangladeshi partner of the trader.

After his arrival at Teknaf, he sold all the cattle at the rate of Kyat 2,73,000 per head. But he had to pay Kyat 7,500 to Custom, Kyat 18,000 commission to his Bangladeshi partner for each one. Besides, he had to pay Kyat 6 millions for labor and oil and boat rent including his personal expenditure, he further added.

Excluding all his expenses, he had lost Kyat one million, for which he felt upset on his hard work business.

The trader said, “if I would not give a huge amount of bribe to Western Command Commander and other SPDC authorities, I would be profited some. This kind of bribe in our country is nothing but making the people economically cripple.” # #

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