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(1)Tsunami kills 6 in Arakan
(2) Army starts taking areca nut tax from villagers
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Tsunami kills 6 in Arakan
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Akyab, Dec 28: 6 Arakanese people were killed in Akyab,
the capital of
Arakan state, by the tsunami that
drove through the
Sunday. The bodies were found
yesterday, on the seashore.
All of the victims were from the Thicaung
quarter that is located near
the seaside, 7 miles north of Akyab.
A fishing boat owner said that two fishing boats from Paithe Wra under
the Wra Gri Mruk quarter of Akyab are still missing and a number of
fishing trawlers were also reported
still missing at sea.
According to UNICEF about 90 peoples died in
migrant workers died in Ranong, Network Media Group reported.
Reportedly the heavy tidal waves hit the sea area of Arakan, but it is
very difficult to get any
information due to the communication
difficulties in
A witness from an Akyab hotel said
that 5 successive heavy tidal waves
hit his hotel compound at an
approximate 15 minute interval, however he
said there were not any damages to
the buildings and houses in Akyab by
the heavy waves.
The military government had not disclose any reports
regarding
causalities until now.
A well of water up to 30 feet high triggered by the 9.0
magnitude
earthquake swept into
Southeast Asian countries.
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Army starts taking
areca nut tax from villagers
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Independent Mon News Agency
For the first time a Burmese military battalion based in
has collected a areca nut tax from
the people, 1,000 areca nuts from
each areca palm plantation owner.
"The military Infantry battalion
No.282 ordered the village headmen in
collect the tax," a village
headman said.
"I took to the village headman's home 2,000 areca nuts
by myself with my
motorbike for the tax. My village
headman took from our family 2,000
because we have 6,000 areca palms
in our plantation," Myit Htwe
explained.
Village headmen have to manage, more or less, which areca
palms owner
they have to collect for the tax.
"In the order, they collect the areca
for planting, but I do not believe
it. I think they collect it for their
funds because the areca nut has a
good price," the village headman added.
In that area, areca nut is the job most people rely on for
survival, 7
Kyat an areca nut. An owner of
1,000 areca palms has an income of more
than one million Kyat for a year.
"That's why the military authorities collected the
areca nut from each
village. They got more than 50
thousand areca nuts per village and they
will get about 100 million Kyats in
the whole township," the village
headman explained how the army got
the money.
In some areas, the Burmese soldiers stole villagers' areca
nuts drying
at their village homes and resold
them for their income.
"Sometimes, they took them in front of us. But they do
not ask us. We
are also afraid to make a complaint
to the higher ranking officer
because at the moment the military
has launched a military operation
against the Mon splinter groups in
our area and the military is very
cruel to people," said Mi Kon Chan, a women from southern Ye township
who reached the camp the day before
yesterday (Dec. 25).
"They also killed some people, beating villagers for
stealing who tried
to go to the areca palm plantation
to pick arecas," she claimed.
In southern
operations against the Houngsarwatoi Restoration Party(HRP), a Mon
splinter group, and some villages
were banned from going to the orchard
plantation.
(End)
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Burma News International is a network of nine exiled media
groups
such as Mizzima
News, Shan Herald Agency for News, Kao Wao News Group,
Khonumthung News Group, Narinjara News, Kaladan Press
Network,
Independent Mon News Agency, Karenni Information
Network Group and Network Media Group.
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