Residents of Yangon Region have reported an increase in the collection of military service fees and security costs by Pyu Saw Htee members and administrative bodies across various townships. Starting from May 2024, villages, wards, and townships within Yangon Region have been subjected to military service fee collections ranging from 20,000 kyats to hundreds of thousands per household. After more than a year of collecting these military service fees, the practice has now expanded to include additional security costs in townships such as Thingangyun, Thanlyin, Kawhmu, Kwanchaukgone, Hlaingthaya, South Dagon, and East Dagon.
In Thingangyun Township, while the collections are verbally referred to as military service support fees, the actual collection receipts label them as security costs, though residents report no visible security services being provided. In Kawhmu Township, authorities have mandated that all citizens are responsible for security, requiring one person per household to participate in security duties. Those unable to participate due to their daily struggle for livelihood are required to pay monthly fees. The authorities claim to understand that citizens are struggling with their daily work and cannot participate in security duties, hence requiring monthly payments to support the Pyu Saw Htee members and ward administration teams who handle security.
In Hteinpin village of Thanlyin Township, administrator Hla Myint Htay (aka) Ko Nga Gyi has called meetings with residents to collect military service fees of 20,000 kyats per household. Additionally, separate monthly security fees are being collected from 300 households in the village and 1,500 households in the new ward area. The authorities also require mandatory guest registration every seven days at a cost of 1,000 kyats per registration, generating over 600,000 kyats monthly from guest registration fees alone.
Residents face significant challenges in reporting these various fee collections. Ward administration teams and Pyu Saw Htee members threaten those who attempt to file complaints with life-threatening consequences. They warn that in this military-administered era, any complainants will be dealt with using weapons, leaving citizens with no choice but to comply with the financial demands. As a result, residents are forced to continue paying these fees without any avenue for raising grievances or seeking redress, according to local sources.
