Mehm Aue : The Karen National Union (KNU) asked for one million Thai Baht from the Border Guard Force (BGF) committee at Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) as a bribe not to interrupt tomorrow’s election, said a source close to the BGF committee.
Brigade 6 from Battalion 16 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) demanded this money and the Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) negotiated with KNLA about their demand, according to a member of the VPDC from Three Pagodas Pass.
“We couldn’t give the whole sum to the KNU. We paid about 400,000- 500,000 Baht,” the VPDC member said.
Burmese authorities collected a portion of the money from a few businessman at TPP, with some of the more wealthy businessmen paying up to 100,000 Baht, one of the TPP businessman explained.
“Regular businessman paid about 50,000 Baht. The VPDC explained to them that this was extortion on KNU’s part,” explained this businessman.
Three Pagodas Pass is a town at the Thai-Burma border. Every year, Three Pagoda Pass authorities pay around 50,000 Baht to the KNU, by collecting money from wealthy residents at TPP.
IMNA contacted the vice-chairman of the KNU, asking about the bribe, and the vice-chairman responded that he knew nothing of the bribe.
