SHAN STATE – Pa’O National Organisation (PNO) which has joined under the terrorist junta regime as a Pyithusit militia has been extorting the people at the villages in Yatsauk Township, southern Shan State, causing difficulties for the people, reported a resident.
PNO troops are said to be using various excuses to extort exorbitant amount of money from the civilians in Pinphyit Model Village and nearby villages of Yatsauk Township.
“When we killed a pig for funeral meals, they charged us for not informing them and confiscated all the meat. They also demanded 600,000 MMK in fines and even physically assaulted the people,” explained the resident.
In addition, the PNO troops recently accused a villager of using illegal drugs and threatened him, making him pay them two million MMK.
Local residents said that various illegal gambling activities have been set up in the area with the permission of PNO and the armed group has been extorting money from ordinary civilians in addition to collecting monthly fees from those gambling places.
Similarly in PNO controlled territories such as Hopone, Hsihseng and Pinlaung Townships in southern Shan State, people are made to pay monthly fees for various unreasonable charges such as weapons, rations, ammunition and even wheel covers.