Arakan Army Collects 1.4 Million Kyats in Monthly Taxes from Hpon Nyo Leik Village, Buthidaung Township

Arakan Now, 9 May 2025

The Arakan Army collects monthly taxes from Hpon Nyo Leik village in Buthidaung, ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 Myanmar Kyats per household. Poor families pay less than 5,000 Kyats. Villagers also need to give labor forces monthly and military services sometimes.

A resident told Arakan Now that the Arakan Army collects 1.4 million Myanmar Kyats in taxes from Hpon Nyo Leik village each month, and this amount continues to be collected regularly.

A local from this village told Arakan Now, “People are starving, with no food. In this situation, we have to pay monthly labor force, monthly taxes, and sometimes military services.”

“For military service, sometimes we need to pay money to those willing to go or send our own children. If a family doesn’t want to send their child for military service, they must pay another family to send their child instead,” the resident added.

Hpon Nyo Leik is the village where the Arakan Army first started their fighting with the Myanmar military in January 2024, where more than 30 Rohingya civilians were killed, and over 100 others were injured, according to an earlier Arakan Now report.

The Rohingya in this village have already lost everything after the Myanmar military and Arakan Army destroyed their homes and livelihoods. Now, they must rely on aid from abroad while also facing these ongoing tax, labor, and military service demands from the Arakan Army.