Pyu Saw Htee extort money in various forms in Myingyan

Photo: Thida Yu Mon, leader of Myingyan Pyu Saw Htee, and her subordinates are seen at a gate in Myingyan. (July 9) Mizzima. In Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region, Pyu Saw Htee under Thida Yu Mon are extorting money in various forms, according to local sources. Households in villages such as Yarsyi, Theinkone, and Thayphyu near Myingyan city are being charged various fees including gate fees, conscription fees, and fees for transporting food items, a member of the Myingyan People's Movement Committee told Mizzima. "They demand 10,000 kyats every three days as a gate fee per household, which amounts to over 100,000 kyats per month. They also collect money from those who go to the town to buy rice and oil in bags and containers and return. They also collect money to feed the soldiers when they come from the island in the middle of the water," he said. According to a local resident, they are collecting money in various ways, such as 10,000 kyats every three days as a gate fee, 40,000 kyats for three months as a conscription fee, 5,000 kyats per bag of rice and 5,000 kyats per container of oil for vehicles carrying food items entering the village from the town, and 5,000 to 10,000 kyats per household as provisions for the military troops who frequently enter the village. "We can no longer tolerate the frequent collections. They impose various headings and collect money, and they come to our homes to collect it, so we cannot refuse to pay. They carry guns, so we have to give them what we have. If a household cannot pay, they shout and cause trouble, so in the end, we have to pay," he told Mizzima. Local residents are farmers who cultivate crops, and they are facing many difficulties due to these extortions. In Myingyan Township, Pyu Saw Htee groups under Pyu leader Thida Yu Mon are not only extorting money but also setting fire to and destroying villages and perpetrating daily acts of violence and oppression against local civilians, according to residents. Editor: Aung Kyaw Phyo This post appeared first on BUR.MIZZIMA.COM.