Mizzima News

Dhaka (Mizzima) – The Border Region Scrutiny and Administration Department (Na Sa Ka) in Maungdaw Township opened fire on two Bangladesh bound boats of smugglers on November 8, killing a man, border sources from both countries said.

The boat transporting cattle from Mun Aung and the other carrying teak wood from Tungup were intercepted by the forces by opening fire when they were sailing to Bangladesh. Ngwe Thein (30) from Tungup was shot dead.

“Personnel of Na Sa Ka No. 7 region opened fire when they reached Ahle Than Kyaw in Mung Daw. Our boat suffered no casualty but there were casualties in the boat coming from Tungup. I heard that they were arrested and there is casualty,” a crew member from the boat coming from Mun Aung told Mizzima.

Those who were injured are helmsman Zaw Win Naing, U Pyi Thien and one other. The dead and the seriously injured were sent to Mun Daw hospital. Five other people are in the custody of the Na Sa Ka.

The teak and cattle smugglers have to grease the palms of sailors of naval patrol boats in the region before their journey.

But this time the smuggler’s boats were fired upon by Na Sa Ka personnel from No. 7, which usually confiscate their goods when they refuse to stop, a sailor from Mun Aung said.

The special task force for sea lane control, led by Brig. Gen. Myo Thant, is based in Tungup, Rakhine State since September 2008. The naval patrol boats collecting protection money from the smugglers were from the special task force, another sailor said.

The bribe for teak is Kyat 20,000 per ton while it is Kyat 5,000 for each head of cattle. Besides various taxes have to be paid. One of the boats was carrying about 100 heads of cattle and another boat was carrying about 100 tons of teak, when they were fired upon, the crew on the boats said.

In Bangladesh, the price of Burmese teak is 1.4 million Taka (Kyat 2.1 million) per ton and the price of cattle is Taka 20,000 (Kyat 300,000) to Taka 40,000 (Kyat 600,000). In Burma, the price of teak is Kyat 700,000 per ton and the price of a head of cattle is between Kyat 150,000 to Kyat 250,000.

Though there have been many incidents of firing on smugglers boats before, this is the first death reported.