MYAWADY-A team of Karen National Union (KNU)/Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) led by General Tiger stopped and inspected Thai trucks coming to the Myawady border trade zone yesterday morning in response to Thai police’s extortion of money from Myanmar trucks and citizens that are travelling to Mae Sot.
Thirty trucks driving from the Myanmar-Thai Friendship Bridge to the border trade zone were inspected near the Min Padonmar Playground on Asia Road.
“They don’t make inspections when the district [administrators] or the police go there, but the Myanmar citizens are always inspected when they go there. Then, they extort money on various reasons. I did this to solve this issue,” said General Tiger.
“The car drivers from our country always get inspected by the Thai police. This morning, someone had to pay Bt 100 near the airport. He has a ticket for border passing, but he was taken to the police station and was extorted for money,” said a local driver who had been to Mae Sot before.
The Thai trucks were later released after Myawady district administrator, township administrator, and border committee’s chairman arrived to the scene and negotiated with the ethnic armed group and told them that they will file an official complaint to the Thai government regarding the police extortion issue.
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