Mizzima
The junta told express bus company owners in Magway Town, Magway Region that they will have to find ways to provide 40 trucks to transport supplies to junta soldiers in Ann Town in Rakhine State.
Despite the companies running bus services rather than haulage companies the junta has said that they will have to find and rent trucks capable of carrying at least 250 bags of rice, drivers and backup drivers by 28 April.
The trucks will then have to transport supplies such as such as rice, edible oil, onion, and dried chilies from Yangon to the junta soldiers in Ann Town. The departure date for the trucks has yet to be set by the junta.
Any bus company that fails to supply the junta with the necessary trucks will have their bus operating licences revoked.
The express bus company owners were summoned to a meeting with junta officials at the Magway Town General Administration Office on 26 April. Officials who attended included the Magway Regional Government Minister of Transportation, the City Peace and Development Council and the District Police Chief.
One of the Express bus company owners said: “In accordance with the directives from the meeting, we were instructed to dispatch 6-wheel or 12-wheel trucks to the Magway Highway Bus station in Magway Town. Those who fail to comply will be prohibited from running bus operations, have their licences confiscated and face legal repercussions.”
He added that it was proving hard to obtain the required number of trucks because owners were reluctant to rent out their trucks due to ongoing fighting in Rakhine State.
Another bus company owner said he was finding it difficult to source trucks because he runs bus services and is not in the haulage business.
The bus company owners must report with their trucks to Magway Town Bus Station by 28 April. Having to obtain trucks in such a short timeframe has made it even harder for the bus company owners to source trucks.
The bus company owners were told that they will receive 1.25 million kyats rental fee for each truck that they supply.
This should cover the costs of renting the trucks, but once the bus company owners factor in the costs of fuel and paying drivers and backup drivers they are likely to make losses. if they are lucky they may break even or make a tiny amount of profit.
To complicate the transportation of goods to Ann Town it has been reported that landmines have been planted on the roads connecting Ann Town to Magway Region. This has resulted in the Arakan Army closing the road between Ann and Padan in Minbu District, Magway Region, part of the route the trucks will need to take.
Previously, the junta has already commandeered civilian vehicles to transport troops, ammunition and food.
