Business owners in Taunggyi City, the Shan State capital, have received messages attempting to blackmail them and purportedly sent by a faction of the Taunggyi People's Defence Force (PDF).
The blackmail messages, sent via messaging apps and letters, first started appearing on 20 November. They claim to be from the Local Attack Army (LAM), a faction of the Taunggyi People's Defence Force (PDF), according to a source in Taunggyi City.
He said: “Since the end of the Tazaungdaing Festival, [which was held from 11 to 17 November] business owners in Taunggyi have been receiving [threatening] blackmail messages. The senders, claiming to be a faction of the Taunggyi PDF, possess exact information about the names, phone numbers, home addresses, and shop locations of their targets. These threats are delivered via Viber, Telegram, and Messenger apps.”
Those who received the messages were threatened with dire consequences if they did not immediately make a payment or if the blackmailing was reported to anyone. They were also told that they were under constant surveillance.
A source close to the resistance forces said the threats were baseless and the work of fraudsters.
He said: “Taunggyi is not on the list of liberated areas [junta-free areas]. It is not controlled by PDFs like in Anyar [the central dry zone]. These blackmail attempts are simply frauds. If you receive such messages, do not be afraid—block the contact number immediately and do not pay any money.”
Rather than having to pay defence forces, businesses in Taunggyi have had to pay the junta.
A Taunggyi resident told Shan Herald that 10-house-group administrators, and 100-house-group administrators in some downtown wards of Taunggyi City have been collecting money from local households under the pretext of funding conscription. Households that refuse to pay are often banned from being able to register overnight guest lists or obtain letters of recommendation.
The junta also insisted on holding extravagant Tazaungdaing Festival celebrations in Taunggyi City and forced locals to contribute money towards the celebrations, even though they are suffering financial hardships.
