Drivers complain of nighttime curfew along Yangon-Sittwe road

30 Apr 2022

DMG Newsroom

30 April 2022, Sittwe 

Passenger bus and cargo truck drivers have complained about an ongoing nighttime curfew in place on the Yangon-Sittwe road. 

Military checkpoints along the thoroughfare currently prevent drivers from using the road from 6 p.m. to dawn, causing delays for passenger buses running from Sittwe to Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Minbya in Arakan State, as well as to the commercial capital Yangon and Myanmar’s second-largest city Mandalay, according to drivers. 

Cargo trucks are significantly inconvenienced as a result of the curfew, said Ko Aung Myint, manager of a transport company involved in overland shipping of crab and prawn from Sittwe to Yangon. 

“It would be best if we had unrestricted access to the road. The more restrictions and the more delays, the more we suffer,” he said. 

Vehicle breakdowns can be particularly problematic under the current restrictions on travel along the road, said Ko Than Htay, who drives for a bus line plying the Sittwe-Kyauktaw route. 

“Sometimes, we have a flat tire or a breakdown while driving on the road. In such cases, we can’t make it to the checkpoint by 6 p.m., and we have to sleep on the side of the road,” he said. 

Authorities also imposed a nighttime curfew along the Yangon-Sittwe road when Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army were engaged in armed hostilities more than a year ago. 

Sittwe-to-Mrauk-U bus line driver Ko Maung Than Myint called on authorities to scale back the curfew, if not eliminate it entirely.  

“Sometimes, we have passengers who return to Mrauk-U after seeing a doctor in Sittwe. If we can’t make it to the checkpoint by 6 p.m., we have to arrange for them to lodge at a nearby guesthouse. Sometimes, they don’t have extra money as they have just paid medical costs. In such cases, we pay for them out of our own pockets,” he said. 

Former Mrauk-U Township lawmaker U Tun Than Sein has called for unrestricted access to the road as fighting has ceased in Arakan State, with the Myanmar military and Arakan Army reaching an informal ceasefire toward the end of 2020. 

“It is not a war period now. Tight security measures are understandable if clashes are ongoing. However, there are no clashes now, and restrictions only cause delays to passengers,” he said.

DMG phone calls to Arakan State Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Kyaw Thura and Arakan State military council spokesman U Hla Thein went answered. 

Adding to concerns about commerce bottlenecks, certain commodities require the approval of the state security and border affairs minister to pass a major checkpoint in Ann Township, note cargo transportation service providers.