Forest in southern Mon State reopened after closure due to extortion

03 June 2015
Forest in southern Mon State reopened after closure due to extortion
Photo: Wikipedia

After a ten day closure of a forest in Kawsar Township, southern Ye, Mon State, locals are now allowed to enter according to a report by the Independent Mon New Agency on 3 June.
“Because the village tract administrator told us that the forest is reopening this morning, locals have begun flowing in to their orchards and rubber plantations. It was very crowded. It was closed for more than ten days prior,” said a Yinye villager, who requested anonymity.
Infantry Battalion 31, which is based near Kawsar Town, gave an order to locals in Kawsar Sub-township on May 18th that no one was allowed to set foot in the forest. As a result, the locals struggled as they could not work on their orchards and crop plantations.
“The durian price is good this year. And, it is at this time of year that we can pick the durians. However, because we were not allowed to go to our orchards for ten days, many are now rotten,” said a Tho-thet Ywa Htit villager.
The reasons why IB 31 forced the closure is that the illegal militias of Nai Pin and Mon Chan were attempting to extort locals, especially owners of orchards and plantations, in Kawsar Sub-township.
Although the armed groups of Ah-Lwin, Ah-Saung, and Mon Chan are active in southern Ye Township and blackmail locals often, so far there has been no clashes with government troops.
According to report from local monks, seven cases of commandeering and looting took place in late 2014 and till May of 2015. Almost all cases were conducted by the Nai Pin and Mon Chan militias.
In early May, nineteen monks from Kawsar Sub-township sent a letter to South East [Regional] Command requesting help with security in order to keep peace in the area.