Local residents in Kyaikmaraw Township, Mon State, say village and ward administration officials and local armed groups have been purchasing privately owned land to expand gambling operations in the area.
According to a resident of Phatetkone Village, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) purchased a plot of land measuring 100 feet by 40 feet in the village last year for more than 340 million kyats and has since opened a gambling hall on the site.
Residents also reported that land plots outside Kawtpalaing Village in Kyaikmaraw Township have been purchased and are being used to operate gambling venues disguised as inspection checkpoints.
“The land they bought has been developed to look like a checkpoint where fees are collected. Inside, they have built enclosed buildings. Gambling tables are operating inside those buildings. There are people gambling day and night. No one dares to speak out against them,” a local resident said.
The resident added that gambling operations are being run systematically inside the enclosed buildings constructed on the purchased land, with security measures also in place.
Residents said they had reported the situation to local parliament representatives. However, the representatives reportedly responded that they could not resolve the issue because the gambling operations were being led by military officers and ethnic armed organizations involved in the peace process.
A woman close to a state parliament representative from Thanbyuzayat said:
“There are people who have filed complaints about the gambling operations. However, parliament representatives said they could not take action against them. They said the only thing they could do was inform the security authorities.”
Residents said gambling activities have contributed to a rise in theft, crime, and robbery, making daily travel and movement increasingly unsafe for local communities.
They are calling on the relevant authorities to take systematic action to address the gambling operations currently operating in the area.
