Asia World doubles tolls on road to Bassein

Tuesday, 27 April 2010 17:17 Myo Thein

Rangoon (Mizzima) - Junta crony firm Asia World has without notice, since the Buddhist New Year, more than doubled tolls and is charging for river crossings on the Rangoon-Bassein (Pathein) Road, truck drivers say.
The total fees for using the road and bridge crossings rose from 35,000 Kyats (US$35) to 75,000 Kyats for a 10-wheeled truck (20 tons) and for a 12-wheeled truck (40 tons), from 40,000 Kyats to 90,000 Kyats.

Asia World rebuilt and upgraded the road on a build-operate-transfer basis.

There had been no need to pay for crossing small bridges along the road, but now the toll per bridge is 3,000 Kyats for a six-wheeler, 8,000 Kyats for a 10-wheeler and 10,000 Kyats for a 12-wheeler.

“Since the day after Thingyan [traditional water festival], the toll fees were increased. The vouchers they [staff at toll gates] handed out did not have the usual notice: ‘the toll rate is classified based on the weight of the vehicle’. The message was also not displayed at the toll gates,” a driver of a 10-wheeled truck, from Bayintnaung wholesale market in Rangoon, said. “They [gate staff] said they collected the tolls as directed by their superiors [Asia World].”

The tolls were increased for all types of vehicles.

Owners of trucks that use the road have discussed raising freight fees, but owners of passenger vehicles such as buses have no plans to increase fares.

Asia World and its subsidiaries, owned by Tun Myint Naing (a.k.a. Steven Law) - son of the notorious drug lord Lo Hsing Han - are the subject of sanctions by the European Union, United Kingdom and the United States over close links to drug-trafficking and the Burmese junta, according to the governments’ websites.