Some villages in Myeik Township, Tanintharyi Region, have reportedly been extorted to contribute 5 million MMK per month per village under the pretext of conscription funds.

In Tawtan and Ashaetaung villages of the Mazaw Village Tract, village officials called residents to inform them that, starting in September, each village would have to contribute 5 million MMK per month.

The extortionists, who were not present in the villages, threatened to bring soldiers and abduct anyone they found for conscription if the villagers did not comply with their demands.

“They threatened to bring in soldiers and take anyone they found if the villagers wouldn’t pay the money they demanded. They said it wouldn’t be a one-time payment but would have to be paid every month. Right now, each household is expected to pay around 80,000 MMK per month, and the villagers are really upset," a 40-year-old Tawtan villager said.

The extortion phone calls were made by a 100-house-group elder from Tawtan Village and another official from the village administration. Locals reported that both of them are currently not in the Mazaw Village Tract and are staying in Myeik Town for safety reasons.

In Mazaw Village Tract, locals primarily make a living from farming. They are already struggling with high commodity prices and other livelihood challenges, and now they are also facing this bullying extortion.

Like in other parts of Myanmar, the junta has been drafting conscripts in both rural and urban areas of Tanintharyi Region using a variety of methods. According to locals, it is currently aggressively seeking recruits for conscription round 18.

Photo credit - CJ