By: Camp Correspondent
Maungdaw, Rakhine State
The Arakan Army (AA) is reportedly imposing daily tolls on Rohingya civilians crossing the newly reopened Kanyin Taw Bridge in northern Maungdaw, despite having previously collected significant funds for bridge repairs earlier this year.
Local sources indicate that in January 2025, the AA, through its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), held a meeting with Rohingya business owners from villages including Kyauk Hlay Gar, Mingalar Gyi, Hla Baw Zar, Paung Zar, Shwe Zar, and Pyin Phyu. During this meeting, officials allegedly solicited over 10 million kyats, claiming the funds were necessary for repairing crucial bridges in the region.
However, civilians attempting to cross the Kanyin Taw Bridge, which connects Paung Zar and Shwe Zar villages, are now being compelled to pay additional fees. A Rohingya shop owner from Paung Zar stated, “AA collected millions from us saying it was for bridge repair. Now they rebuilt it with wood and reopened it, but they’re making us pay again. We have to give 2,000 kyats just to walk across.”
The tolls vary based on the mode of transport, with three-wheeler drivers and car owners reportedly charged between 5,000 and 10,000 kyats. These fees are being collected at an AA checkpoint in the Kanyin Taw (Ali Shar Farah) area.
A tri-shaw driver, who transports goods between villages, claimed the charges are discriminatory: “They only take money from Rohingya. Others don’t have to pay. If we don’t pay, they don’t let us pass and we have to go back. It’s like they see us as nothing but a source of money.”
Residents describe the situation as an additional burden on an already vulnerable and impoverished community. They report feeling that their rights are being eroded under the pretense of development, leaving them susceptible to exploitation by those in power.
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