Local sources report that Major Ye Thway Htun, who is in charge of the Anawrahta Bridge checkpoint in Chauk, Magway Region, has been demanding excessive bribes not only from vehicles crossing the bridge but also from vessels passing underneath it. As the security chief at the checkpoint, Major Ye Thway Htun demands 300,000 kyats per vehicle from trucks, fuel tankers, and passenger vehicles crossing the bridge. Additionally, he conducts arbitrary inspections of private vehicles and motorcycles to extort money from travelers.
The officer and his team have been particularly aggressive in their treatment of young people, forcibly removing them from vehicles to serve as porters, arresting them for extortion purposes, and even selling them as military service substitutes. For vessels passing under the bridge, Major Ye Thway Htun’s orders require payment of 100,000 kyats per empty vessel and 500,000 kyats for cargo-carrying boats and ships. Local sources indicate that these extortion practices have become systematic and widespread at the checkpoint.
Furthermore, the checkpoint authorities are willing to facilitate the transport of illegal goods for additional payments, and have established a network with unlicensed vehicle importers to transport vehicles from Meiktila to Seikphyu for 3 million kyats per vehicle. While the military council has implemented strict policies regarding the transport of weapons, medicine, provisions, fuel, and other commodities through the Anawrahta Bridge checkpoint in Chauk, local residents report that the assigned military officer has turned these restrictions into a lucrative source of personal income through systematic extortion. The checkpoint has become a significant burden for both land and water transportation in the region, with local businesses and travelers bearing the brunt of these illegal demands for payment.
