Kantarawaddy Times
Residents say junta forces have banned fuel sales in Lawpita, a town in Loikaw Township under their control in Karenni State.
The ban has been in effect for about a week, and shop owners are too afraid to sell because they have heard that anyone caught selling will be fined, according to a 30-year-old woman from Lawpita.
She said the warning that sellers would be fined and face further action did not come directly from the junta, but was relayed secondhand through word of mouth.
“We haven’t been allowed to sell fuel for about a week now. I can’t say exactly. From what I’ve heard, anyone caught selling will be fined. That’s why shop owners don’t dare sell. But some shops are still selling,” added a 30-year-old woman.
Residents say they have to pay around 8,000 kyats per liter of fuel. The main route goods reach Lawpita town is the road connecting Loikaw and Lawpita.
A male resident of Lawpita said junta forces have set up checkpoints along this road, where they inspect loaded trucks, and that fuel transport has been banned for some time.
“It has been a long time since military checkpoints on the route from Loikaw to Lawpita stopped allowing the transport of fuel. This isn’t something new,” he said.
Lawpita is an area under junta control, and clashes between junta troops and resistance forces occasionally occur near the town.
