Saturday, 02 August 2008 Maungdaw, Arakan: An officer of the Maungdaw Income Tax Department, U Aye Win was arrested by the special Crime Investigation Department of Maungdaw on July 30, said a local businessman.

The officer was posted on the Burma-Bangladesh special trading gate in Maungdwa town and his duty was to check and collect tax on export-import goods from Burma and Bangladesh , he added.

On a tip off, the officer was arrested after investigations at the outpost revealed that he allowed contraband goods to be exported to Bangladesh after taking bribes from traders of Maungdaw. He allowed mostly liquor and other contraband goods which are not listed as export items, said a trader who operates through the point.

This is the first time an income tax officer has been arrested on the border trading point.  His file has been sent to the authorities for necessary action. Exemplary punishment to the culprit has been recommended as a lesson to other officers working on the Burma- Bangladesh border trading points, said a source in the Customs Department.

From BNI

Saturday, 02 August 2008 Children suffering from Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) are crowding the Myitkyina Public Hospital in Kachin State 's capital Myitkyina in Northern Burma , hospital sources said.

There is now no place to admit new patients in the children's ward in the hospital because it already has over 80 DHF child patients. However, the hospital has officially declared that it has about 20 patients detected with the DHF disease following blood examination, said a hospital staff to KNG today.

Since last week, five or more patients who are not in a serious condition, though affected by DHF, have been attending the hospital for medication every day, a duty health worker in the children's ward told KNG.

A woman eyewitness told KNG today, this morning she saw that some patients were outside the children's ward free space and corridors because the ward is full with DHF child patients.

A nurse in the hospital said, "The number of DHF child patients have suddenly gone up this week in the hospital and most patients are between the ages two and 14.  The patients are suffering from high fever which is not declining.  The patients have been mainly diagnosed with malaria and are being treated with antibiotics."

However, all the cost of medicines has to be paid by the patients and they also have to pay 5,000 Kyat (US $4.2) per night when they hire a health staff in the hospital for taking care of them, according to hospital sources.

Sometimes, the health personnel have been coming to the aid of patients who do not have money to buy medicines. They are collecting the cost of medicines from among themselves in the hospital, added a hospital staff.

Meanwhile, private clinics in Myitkyina are also full with Malaria and DHF patients. The military authorities, however, are yet to take action despite the serious condition arising out of DHF in the township, said residents of Myitkyina.

Residents added, the DHF disease is serious and the infection is caused by mosquito bites. Mainly children are affected in Myitkyina because the military authorities in the township are yet to take up proper Malaria prevention programmes this rainy season.

Last year during this time, there were very few patients who came to Myitkyina Pubic Hospital with Malaria and DHF diseases, according to hospital sources.

From BNI