In Ye Township, Mon State, administrators appointed by the military junta are reportedly collecting money from residents under the guise of monthly fees, according to local sources.
Starting in July 2024, some neighborhoods in Ye Township faced demands of 10,000 kyats per household as “military service replacement fees.” By early December 2025, this shifted to a monthly “fee” of 5,000 kyats per household in areas such as Nanda and Ahnawa wards.
“They go door-to-door every month, collecting money under the label of a monthly fee,” said a local resident. “It’s not explicitly labeled as a military service fee anymore; it’s framed as a general neighborhood fund.”
Ye Township encompasses wards like Thiri Malar, Zayar, Nandar, and Ahnawa, with approximately 2,000 households in total. Local administrators, including 100-House Group Elders and 10-House Group Elders, are reportedly responsible for these collections.
At the same time, mounting costs related to recruiting military replacements are creating challenges for rural administrators. Sources indicate that hiring a replacement for military service now requires a payment of at least 20 lakh kyats, a steep increase due to the junta’s intensified recruitment efforts.
“Administrators are devising ways to manage these demands,” explained a source close to the local administrative body. “They collect funds from the community, use that money to hire individuals to fulfill military service obligations, and cover other expenses imposed by the junta. However, the rising costs make this approach unsustainable.”
Reports suggest that individuals sent for military training under the junta are not allowed to return home and are instead deployed directly to frontline duties. This has led to a scarcity of available replacements, further exacerbating the financial burden on communities.
