Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Rohingya traders say they are facing heavy taxes imposed by the Buddhist Arakan militias (Arakan Army) on their businesses in the markets of Buthidaung Township, Arakan State, western Myanmar, while Rakhine traders are exempt leading to soaring prices and worsening inflation in the region.
Traders from Hpon Nyo Lake, Nyaung Chaung, and Sin Nyin Pyar markets explained that the Arakan militias impose high fees on Rohingya importing goods, especially from India, while Rakhine traders are not subjected to such taxation.
One trader told Arakan News Agency: “Since the Myanmar government banned imports from Yangon, we began bringing goods from Sittwe (the capital of Arakan State), but the route was closed due to fighting. The only option now is to import from India through northern Arakan townships. But the militias do not allow us to travel directly, so we have to rely on Rakhine intermediaries or Arakan militia members themselves, who impose exorbitant fees.”
He added that these extra charges make it nearly impossible to sell goods at affordable prices, leaving residents burdened with rising living costs.
According to locals, the Arakan militias’ taxation policies, combined with restrictions on Rohingya movement and lack of employment opportunities, have fueled severe inflation in Buthidaung.
The economic crisis in Buthidaung has worsened since renewed fighting erupted in 2023 between the Myanmar military and the Arakan militias, who are accused of imposing a taxation system that disproportionately targets Rohingya, amid strict restrictions on their movement and absence of livelihoods further deepening their humanitarian and economic plight.
Under Arakan Army control, the Rohingya have faced widespread abuses, including the sealing and seizure of homes following false complaints, confiscation of valuable property, forced displacement of families, and severe restrictions preventing them from moving between villages, enforced by a network of security checkpoints at every entrance and exit of Rohingya villages.
The Arakan militias launched a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar military to seize control of the state, capturing 14 out of 17 townships. The conflict has engulfed the Rohingya, who have suffered violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides after already being subjected to a campaign of “genocide” by the Myanmar military in 2017, which forced nearly one million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
