Htet Nadi/Thant Zin (NP News) - Nov 9
Locals told The Statesman Journal that prices of goods have continued to rise sharply as the PDF group has indefinitely blocked cargo boats from entering Homalin, a town on the Chindwin River in upper Sagaing Region, via Shwe Pyi Aye.
Many cargo boats are currently blocked off the shores of Shwe Pyi Aye Town due to the PDF group's indefinite ban on them since November 3.
“All motorboats, rafts, and motorized boats heading up to Homalin have been blocked from Shwe Pyi Aye. It was announced that they would be blocked indefinitely starting from November 3. They didn't mention why they were blocking it,” said a local man.
Due to the ban on motor vessels traveling up the Chindwin River to Sagaing, commodity prices in Homalin have skyrocketed, with fuel prices reaching 15,000 kyats per liter, 320,000 kyats per sack of rice, 80,000 kyats per viss of pork, 70,000 kyats per viss of fish, and 25,000 kyats per viss of tomatoes.
“Motor boats are allowed to enter Shwe Pyi Aye. However, vessels that are being blocked in Shwe Pyi Aye are not allowed to exit. What is currently closed is a long line of motor boats around Shwe Pyi Aye and the area below it. They are collecting taxes. It is inconvenient because Shwe Pyi Aye is the last checkpoint. Vessels in Homalin that are seeking to leave are allowed to pass through,” he said.
The source said that currently, vessels are not allowed to enter Homalin, and previously, vessels that did not pay taxes were subject to fines of up to 50 million kyats.
“Also, all motor vessels travelling up the Chindwin River without paying taxes or obtaining approved tickets are fined between 30 million and 50 million kyats. The motor vessel near our house has been detained for six months, while those in Shwe Pyi Aye have been detained for two months. Some motor vessels have been held for six or seven months because their owners cannot afford to pay the fines,” he said.
He said that before this ban, a tax of 200,000 kyats was collected from motor vessels carrying per barrel of fuel and various taxes were also collected on food products.
“Another thing is, they asked for 200,000 kyats per barrel of fuel. It must be for their fund. There are many gold mining rafts in Shwe Pyi Aye, around Ta Baw and Nan Sak,” he added.
In addition to the challenges in transporting commodities by water way, the prices of goods in Homalin continue to rise due to many difficulties in land transportation, so locals are hoping for the transportation routes to be reopened as soon as possible. –
