Ye Balue gang threatens truck drivers, forcing them to carry weapons from Phayathonzu to Ye
106
Htet Nadi /Pearl (NP News) - Nov 26
A source close to the trucks told The Statesman that the Ye Balue group is threatening trucks heading from the Phayathonzu to Ye, forcing them to carry weapons.
The group is reportedly targeting the cargo trucks importing consumer goods and food from Thailand to transport weapons and ammunition through the Phayathonzu town almost every day.
A person close to the truck drivers told The Statesman that “On the road from the Phayathonzu to Ye Township, the Ye Balue group forces the drives to transported weapons hidden among the Thai goods. Sometimes their men come along when the weapons are being transported. We’re even afraid to take photos because they might shoot us. They make us carry weapons almost every day. I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes. The goods come down from the Thai border and get loaded from the Phayathonzu. There are ‘Win trucks’ — these are the trucks that import Thai goods into Myanmar. They have connections there with arms dealers. From that point, if the trucks refuse to carry the weapons, they won’t be allowed to pass. For fearing their abuse, the drivers had to carry guns, bullets, all kinds of weapons, and even drugs. I don't know exactly what types of weapons they are. If the drivers refuse, their families are also threatened. The checkpoints don’t inspect anything. There are about five or six checkpoints. I haven’t heard of any weapons being seized. Once the trucks reach Ye, they have to go to the places where the Ye Balue group calls them. They must go only at night. They keep changing the meeting spots. They send their own men to pick up the weapons and make the trucks carry them.”
In addition to the smuggling of arms, the Ye Balue group also collects money through extortion from those who buy and sell goods.
“I’m worried about the town of Ye. The more weapons they have, the more money they extort from us. They also collect monthly fees for the goods we sell. It is not safe to live there. People who sell goods also face threatens from them. If they don’t pay, they say it’s dangerous for the shop and ask us to support them. It’s not easy to earn a living and support them at the same time. It is almost as if we give them everything we earn,” he continued.
The Ye Balue is a group that has been carrying out a lot of violent acts in Ye Township and has threatened to detonate bombs in elementary schools.