Narinjara news

Nasaka Burmese Security shoot smuggling boats for its share of tolls

Maungdaw, 11^th March 02:  A number of boats were shot and nabbed by the Burmese Nasaka Security and Immigration forces in the mouth of the Naaf river, according to an eyewitness.

On 26^th February, a 25 horsepower engine boat from Sittwe, capital of the western state of Burma, was seized by the Nasaka Area 8 headquarters stationed at Mrung-hlwatt village, in the southern part of the border town of Maungdaw.

The boat, Khaing Thida, 72 ft long and 15 ft wide, was carrying 8,000 bamboos,  7,000 bundles of nipa palm, and 500 bags of rice bran.  The boat was caught after being shot by the Nasaka patrol in a speedboat.

It was learnt that, fourteen Muslims, some of whom suffered bullet injuries, were arrested from the smuggling boat. 

In the same manner on 21^st February, a 22-horsepower engine boat from Kyaukpru, south of Sittwe,  was seized while it was returning from the Bangladeshi town of Teknaf after it had smuggled out 27 cows.  A total of kyat 760,000 was recovered from the nine-member Rakhine crew, headed by U Tun Yi (48) the helmsman from Taysha village of Kyaukpru.

In the early hours of the same day another boat that was returning from Teknaf was also shot and seized by the Nasaka patrol with kyat 850,000, while the crew of the boat have since been missing,  according to a source in the Maungdaw court.

Major Nyi Nyi Lwin of Nasaka Area Eight headed the operations as he was dissatisfied with the smugglers who used to bribe security forces disregarding Nasaka, including the Navy, Police, and Military Intelligence  to carry on their illegal trafficking.  All the smuggling boats in the area have been directed to offer illegal tolls to the Nasaka Area 8  since  the recent arrests. #