The Putao People’s Defence Force (PDF), a group fighting the military regime, has announced that it’ll restrict traffic hours on the motorway from Myitkyina to Putao in order to stop illegal dealings by the military and its proxy groups in Kachin State.
A PDF officer told KNG that buses and trucks won’t be allowed to travel on the Myitkyina – Sumprabum – Putao route between 6pm and 6am from 2 March. He said that the military and its allies smuggle heroin and that they want to stop this, including the poppy plantations.
A Putao man said, “We’re asking the PDF to confiscate heroin and other drugs on the Putao road because the military never does that,” he said, explaining that many illegal drugs come up the road and the police never arrest the dealers but only take bribes. “We want the PDF to crack down on the drug dealers because many youths get addicted.”
The PDF’s statement demands that bus and lorry drivers roll down their windows when travelling between the towns and cover their loads with clear plastic so that PDF soldiers can easily check what they’re transporting.
