Narinjara news

FORCED PURCHASE OF FIREWOOD FOR MILITARY BRICKFIELD
 IN THE TOWNSHIPS OF RAKHINE STATE

Maungdaw, 9 February 02 : The Burmese Military troops have again been reported to have started collecting firewood for the military owned brickfields across Rakhine State including that in Maungdaw township, a town close to Bangladesh border on the Naf river, our correspondent quoted a villager of the area.
At Alay-than-gyaw village tract in the southern part of the township, firewood has been forcefully 'bought'  at a deliberately reduced price from woodcutters of the area by security forces from the Nasaka headquarters No. 7 in the locality beginning from October last year.  The villagers reported the matter to the local UNHCR official on January 8^th this year.
On receiving the complaint, U Than Maung, the UNHCR-in-charge for southern part of Maungdaw township  and U Tun Lwin, Assistant Supervisor  called on Bohmu (major) Min Swe Myint of the Nasaka headquarters No. 7.   The major denied all the charges of forcing the firewood sellers to sell their firewood at deliberately reduced prices. The major also told him that, anyone not willing to sell below the market price will not be forced to sell their firewood. 
Our correspondent quoted a villager that, the firewood sellers have ever since been forced to sell more firewood at more deliberately reduced prices, and they have been disallowed to sell firewood to others in the area.  The Burmese Military have been running large-scale  brick fields across the south western state of Myanmar by forceful collection of firewood from the villagers near the brick field areas.  A number of large brick fields are controlled and run in the townships of Kyauktaw (operated by Battalion 539), Rathedaung (Battalion 536) and Buthidaung (Battalion 234) where forceful collection of firewood by paying deliberately lowered prices  in the northern part of Rakhine State. #