Khaw Zar town residents struggle with new people's militia tax

IMNA

According to IMNA's field reporter in Mon State's Khaw Zar sub-Township, Infantry Battalion (IB) No. 31 has ordered residents of Khaw Zar town, the region's largest community, to form and fund a new 10-person people's militia.

According to town residents, a meeting about the new militia was held on April 14th at the town's Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) office. Reportedly, the town's quarter headmen explained that each of Khaw Zar town's 700 households must now pay a monthly tax of 3,000 kyat to fund the salaries of the new militia; each household must also contribute an additional 50,000 kyat to the new militia's arms fund.

“ [There are] two quarters in our town, the two headmen held the meeting. We will find the people who want to be in the militia, but the [rest of the] villagers have to pay for them [monthly salaries] and for their guns,” stated a villager who attended the April 14th meeting.

Reportedly, widespread reluctance to join the new militia has sent even the most financially challenged members of Khaw Zar town scrambling for funds.

“If we join the people's militia, we will get 100,000 kyat for one month, but no one wants to join. Every resident is trying to pay money for them [trying to afford the taxes], some of have problems getting the money, but they are trying because they don’t want to join the militia,” a second villager reported.

Despite the sizable paychecks that village militia members often receive, the job is often regarded as highly undesirable inside Burma, largely because of the dangers associated with it. Village militia members are at the mercy of their superiors in the Burmese military; during times of conflict, militias are often caught in the crossfire between Burmese battalions and insurgent group. Reportedly, many Khaw Zar town resident fear that their new militia will soon be caught up in a potential war between the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), and the New Mon State Party (NMSP), following the latter's recent decision not to convert their armed wing into an SPDC-controlled force.

According to IMNA's field reporter Khwa Zar town's quarter headmen have, for the last 10 days, ordered town residents to spend the hours between 6 am and 10 am building a security hut next to the town's TPDC office. Once the community's people's militia is formed, the group will use the hut as a checkpoint for maintaining the town's security.