Residents of northern Kachin State have said that though they face restrictions on transporting rice, cooking oil, salt and other household commodities Chinese companies working in northern Kachin State face no such restrictions.
A resident of Hsawlaw said: “We can see Chinese companies transporting rice, gasoline and diesel in large vehicles to Kachin Independence Army (KIA) controlled areas. We believe the restrictions are in place not for political or military [reasons] but for economic [reasons]. The Chinese can transport them but the public can’t transport them.... We are only transporting them for domestic use, but we are not allowed to transport them.”
Locals claim that the Chinese companies have transported goods through areas controlled by the Burma Army, Border Guard Forces and People’s Militias.
The locals said that they believe the Burma Army has been restricting them from transporting goods because they believe that they are supplying the KIA with food.
They also said that the Burma Army officers in charge of security on the Kampaiti to Chipwe Road have been inspecting what the locals are transporting and have restricted the amount of food and commodities locals can take from Myitkyina to other townships in northern Kachin State.
U Shi Zaw Zhaung Dai from Chipwe said: “It’s been over a year since the restrictions on food transportation started. We can’t transport more than two bags of rice and one box of cooking oil [at a time].” He also said that the Burma Army stationed on the road from Kampaiti to Chipwe confiscate any goods in excess of those limits.
As a result of these restrictions the prices of food and commodities have been rising in Chipwe and locals face difficulties in buying them.
Chipwe residents are also facing difficulties making a living due to a lack of employment and a lack of safe agricultural land to farm. Farming in the hills is dangerous because of ongoing fighting between the Burma Army and the KIA. Some residents are having to survive on corn, white yams and taro because they do not have access to rice.
If residents of Chipwe and Hsawlaw want to transport food and household commodities they have to apply to either the township general administrators or the local battalion commander for documentation that will allow them to transport a limited quantity of goods.
However, residents have said that the Burma Army still question them if they have documentation from the township general administrator and the only way they can be sure they will be allowed to pass with their goods is to have documentation issued by the battalion commander.
U Shi Zaw Zhaung Dai, a Chipwe resident, said he does not know how the Chinese companies are managing to transport their goods when locals have to seek permission to transport anything.
He said: “They [the Chinese] are wealthy capitalists and business owners, we don’t know what they have negotiated with the authorities.”
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
