Police and soldiers in Bhamo were busy confiscating unregistered vehicles over the weekend, but drivers in the town in Kachin State could get them back if they had enough money to bribe the authorities.
The armed forces reportedly seized over 100 motorbikes and 30 cars near the town clock tower and in 5 Mile and Nawng Hko wards on 6 November, according to a woman who spoke to KNG on condition of anonymity. Military trucks were used to remove the motorbikes.
“If people didn’t have a licence, didn’t wear a helmet or didn’t have a rear-view mirror on their motorbike or car, they were arrested and their motorbike or car was also taken away,” the woman said. However, if you could afford to pay $100 on Monday, they gave you your motorbike back. At the time of going to press, it wasn’t yet clear if they also released people’s cars
Last year, armed forces in the town did the same thing, charging people between $100 and $140 to get their vehicles back.
