Residents of two Chin townships have reportedly been forced by officials to work for free on a road for or pay large amounts of money to finance its construction.

Below is an article written by Naw Say Phaw and published by the Democratic Voice of Burma:

May 22, 2007 - Residents from Chin State’s Hakha and Mantaw townships said today that local officials were continuing to force them to work for free on a road being built between the areas.

Several residents said they had been ordered to contribute large amounts of money to the fund for the construction, which has already taken three years.

“They are collecting 10,000 kyats from every household. Those who cannot contribute cash have to go and work and the construction site as their contribution,” one man told Democratic Voice of Burma on condition of anonymity.

"It's difficult for us. We were already struggling hard for our daily food. We are only contributing the money because we do not dare disobey the order," he said.

Large numbers of villagers from the surrounding area have reportedly been forced to work for free on the project since it started. But the Hakha chairman today denied the allegations of forced labour.

“We didn’t ask anyone for the money,” he said.