By: Camp Correspondent
Maungdaw, May 22, 2025 — The Arakan Army (AA) has announced a mandatory monthly tax on all Rohingya-owned shops in Maungdaw Township, warning that failure to comply will result in forced closures and additional punishments.
According to local sources, the directive was issued on May 20 via loudspeakers across several villages. Shop owners were told to pay between 100,000 and 200,000 kyats per month, based on their business capital. The new order expands the AA’s existing tax policy, which had previously targeted only larger businesses since early January. Now, even small shop owners must comply if they operate from a fixed space.
“If you have a shop — even a small betel nut stand — you must pay. Otherwise, they said they’ll lock it up,” said a Rohingya shopkeeper.
Under the AA’s tiered tax plan:
- Shops with capital over 5 million kyats must pay 200,000 kyats
- Those with 2 to 5 million kyats must pay 150,000 kyats
- Shops with 1 to 2 million kyats must pay 100,000 kyats
Street vendors operating from temporary setups, such as roadside betel nut sellers, are reportedly exempt. However, some say even this is not being honored.
In Kyauk Hlay Gar village, residents reported that a deputy village administrator appointed by the AA used the new tax scheme to threaten and harass shopkeepers. Witnesses say he slapped an elderly betel nut vendor and shouted insults when the man couldn’t pay.
“He hit a man over 70 years old in front of the market — just for selling betel nut,” said another shop owner. “Everyone is terrified. We live under threats, and there is no justice or security.”
Rohingya civilians in Maungdaw say this is only the latest in a series of pressures under AA rule, including arbitrary arrests, evictions, forced labor, and growing surveillance. With economic hardship deepening, many express fear that even basic survival is now at risk.
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