Nasaka Commander Earns 10 Million Kyat a Month Renting Bangladesh Phones

3/8/2010

By Maung Aye, Maungdaw: A Nasaka commander on the western Burmese border has been earning over ten million kyat per month by illegally renting mobile phones that are on Bangladesh networks to local businessmen, said a police officer from Maungdaw on the condition of anonymity.


"Major Nay Myo, who is commander in charge of Nasaka Area No. 7, is renting 70 Bangladesh mobile telephone sets to local business for 150,000 kyats per month for one phone, for his personal profit. He has earned at least ten million kyat per month from renting telephone sets to businessmen," he said.

Nasaka Area No. 7 is located at Myin Lwet Village in southern Maungdaw Township, where Major Nay Myo is a powerful governing official.

The military authority in western Burma does not allow either the public or government officials to use Bangladesh networked phones within Burmese territory.

"Many businessmen on the western Burmese border need Bangladesh networked mobile phones to communicate with the outside world because Burmese networked phones are very expensive and have tight restrictions. Major Nay Myo has used the opportunity to rent Bangladesh networked mobile sets to local businessmen illegally for his interest," the source said.

Some businessmen in the area have opened public phone shops in their respective villages in order to earn money from the public, who use the phones to call the outside world.

A villager from Ali Than Kyaw said, "We have to pay 200 kyat per minute to the telephone shops when we use the phones to call Bangladesh. The phone shops are able to open in the village freely because they give 150,000 kyats per month to Major Nay Myo to rent the telephone sets."

On the western Burmese border, the authorities seize Bangladesh mobile phones whenever they see people holding them, but those who are renting the phone sets from Nay Myo are able to own and operate the phones openly without any trouble.

According to a police source, Major Nay Myo has rented ten phone sets in Ali Than Kyaw Village, seven phone sets in Myint Lwat, seven phone sets in Kayin Dan Village, three sets in Kan Puu Village, three sets in Chin Khali Village, two sets in Wat Cha and Than Da Villages, along with others in many villages throughout Maungdaw Township.

It was learned that due to the potential for high profits, such a phone rental business is not only done by Major Nay Myo but also other Nasaka officials along the western Burma.

Ref: Narinjara