Myanmar’s military regime has begun carrying out inspections of markets in Mandalay as it continues to lose revenue from cross-border trade through areas controlled by anti-junta forces.
According to traders in the city, which is the main distribution hub for Upper Myanmar, inspectors have targeted the Zay Cho Market and other commercial areas to ensure that taxes have been paid on imported goods.
Earlier this month, deputy junta chief Vice Senior General Soe Win ordered a crackdown on unlicensed imports, saying illegal trade must be brought under control amid a foreign currency crisis and trade disruptions caused by conflict in border areas.
Following this directive, inspections and seizures of Thai and Chinese goods have expanded since the third week of October, according to traders.
On Wednesday, around 15 police officers and municipal authorities inspected shops and warehouses at the Zay Cho Market, a shop owner from the. . .
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