The sale of beer products belonging to the military has dropped drastically since the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), whose military wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), is fighting the regime, banned them completely in the areas of Kachin State it controls.
A KIO officer from Myitkyina District said that after the announcement of the ban on Myanmar, Dagon and ABC beer on 4 January, they checked bars, restaurants and shops in Myitkyina and Waingmaw towns and found that most complied with the order.
”We found that only a few shops still sell the army beer and will take action against them,” he told KNG without elaborating.
The officer said they’ll continue to monitor to ensure that everyone follows the boycott, which came into force on 10 January to cut into the army’s profits and promote the ”revolutionary spirit” to topple the dictatorship. He warned that any beer produced by the military and crony companies will be destroyed, if found.
A KIA officer from Battalion 14 in Tanai Township told KNG that Kachin soldiers are checking all vehicles on Lido Road to ensure they aren’t transporting prohibited beer. ”We’ve already issued a warning not to sell the beer in Hukawng Valley and people have followed it, but we’re checking the vehicles to make sure no one is trying to bring more into the township.”
KIA soldiers and local chapter of the People’s Defence Force, a civilian group fighting the regime across Burma, are also checking vehicles and boats between Kachin State and Sagaing Region.
