The traffic police under the Directorate of Road Transport Department of the state are extorting money in the garb of fines from two wheeler riders without license in Hakha, the capital of Chin state, Burma.
“We can make driving licenses any time, but the authorities have permitted registration of A to 19D only for vehicles. The two wheelers without registration are fined at least 20,000 Kyats,” said an owner of a motorcycle from Hakha.
The registration of two wheelers has been stopped from October 2010 by the authorities and the traffic police have been extorting money from those without registration in the city.
The driving license costs 8,000 Kyats and the registration fee is five lakh Kyats per vehicle in Hakha. The rule has been enforced by the authorities’ f the Directorate of Road Transport Department of the state. For the Chinese made motorcycle, the rate is five lakh to seven lakh Kyats in the state.
The motorcycles are brought from central Burma to Chin state. These are being seized in Than Tlang and Falam town of Chin state entrance and fined by the local traffic police, said a university student from Hakha.
“The government office time is 9:00 am to 4:00 pm but the traffic police duty is between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm. They are on duty without their uniform in every corner of the city for additional income,” said a local.
It learnt that most motorcycles coming from rural areas are identified as unregistered.
Most of two wheeler owners have an understanding with the local traffic police to get out of the complication of registering two wheelers, said a local from Hakha.
“The problem is easily solved, if we buy a motorcycle from the traffic police, but we will be confronted when the agent of the traffic police is transferred to other places,” said a local.
There are about 7,000 to 8,000 two-wheelers in the city alone and about 4,000 are registered. Most motorcycles are imported from China through central Burma.- Khonumthung News