Narinjara News

ROW OVER MYANMAR SOLDIERS SMUGGLING COWS

Buthidaung, 13^th December 01:  Though the movement of agricultural produce including cattle has been banned all over Rakhine State in the western part of Myanmar, the military personnel appointed in the border areas have been reportedly carrying out the trade and transport of the same, our correspondent from Maungdaw reports.
On 26^th October this year, a contingent of police headed by Tun Myint  a sergeant from Fung-nyo-leik police station under Buthidaung township  arrested a group of cattle smugglers at Dung-thein pagoda area with 29 heads of cattle.  While the policemen were preparing the seizure list for reporting to the Buthidaung township police headquarters, Captain of the Infantry Battalion 551 from Taung-bazaar, Buthidaung, demanded the seized cattle as "their own and meant for 'food allowance' for the families of the military"'. 
The Officer-in-charge of Fung-nyo-leik police station, Than Lwin, sent Sergeant Than Oo and Corporal Ba Aye to Battalion 551 for inquiry.  Major San Aung of the battalion demanded that the cattle were owned by them and ordered the cattle to be returned immediately.  The infantry battalion took hold of the cattle in exchange of a bribe of two hundred thousand kyat Myanmar currency and handed over the cattle to the smugglers. 
Our correspondent adds that, though Than Lwin informed the incident to the Nasaka commander of Buthidaung area, Brigadier Aung Ngwe, no action was taken against him except transferring him to elsewhere.  #