A Baptist missionary tour that did not have a township administrator’s letter of recommendation was asked for 200,000 kyats by a Burma Army commander in Ta-Pauk-Kan Village, Paletwa Township, Chin State on 17 February.
According to the tour leader, preacher U Hway Kyaing, the money was demanded by the commander of 289 battalion based in Kha-Wel Village.
He said: “Normally we don’t have a recommendation letter from the township administrator. After arguing we were asked for 200,000 kyats, after begging we paid 180,000 kyats. They had come to where we were staying at 11pm. The next day as we were setting off for Paletwa the village administrator came and gave back 20,000 kyats, so we paid 160,000 kyats in all.”
The 10 members of the Baptist mission were on a preaching tour of villages in the P-Chaung area of Paletwa Township.
Following the demands from the army commander the mission has requested a recommendation letter from the township administrator because they are preparing for another trip.
U Hway Kyaing said: “We have been based in Paletwa for 10 years already, this is the first time this has ever happened to us.”
The Baptist mission is a member of the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC).
Infantry Battalion 289 has been patrolling around Paletwa Township. They are based in Paletwa New Town, with one column being based in Kha-Wel Village.
Translated by Aung Myat Soe English version written by Mark Inkey for BNI
