Township Sangha Councils are reportedly demanding substantial bribes for issuing endorsements allowing monasteries and monks to continue using unlicensed vehicles, following the military council’s crackdown on unregistered vehicles. According to an abbot from a Buddhist teaching monastery, the required ‘donations’ range from 20 million to 50 million kyats (approximately $10,000-25,000), depending on the vehicle’s value.
While the military council, following Min Aung Hlaing’s directive, began nationwide seizures of unlicensed vehicles from June 1, vehicles used by Buddhist monks have been granted exemptions to operate within their respective townships with endorsements from Township Sangha Councils. However, these endorsements come at a significant cost, with the Sangha Councils allegedly collecting money to distribute among police, military, and administrative officials. A monastery abbot revealed that for their Alphard vehicle, valued at over 10 million kyats, they were required to pay 20 million kyats as a ‘donation’ to prevent seizure and secure township registration.
Currently, most townships have ceased confiscating vehicles bearing Sangha Council endorsements, though travel between townships remains restricted. If inter-township travel becomes necessary, abbots must personally submit requests to local military commanders for approval. The military council’s selective enforcement has become apparent, as they primarily target ordinary citizens’ unlicensed vehicles while exempting those with ministerial or organizational endorsements. This discriminatory approach has created a system where religious institutions must pay substantial bribes to maintain their vehicle usage, while the collected funds are distributed among various authorities within the military council’s administration.
