People in the United Wa State Army (UWSA) controlled town of Hopang in Shan State are struggling with increased taxes imposed by the UWSA, according to residents.

Hopang Town has been under UWSA administration since late June 2024. Now, the town’s residents are complaining that increased tax collection under the UWSA are causing them financial difficulties. The taxes include taxes for garbage collection and for shops.

A Hopang Town resident said to SHAN: “The tax amounts are high. For example, the garbage [collection] tax is 100 Chinese RMB per month. Even small grocery shops are taxed, and the larger the shop, the higher the tax. Tax collectors come every month to collect the fees. Here, we don’t get any electricity from Myanmar; we only use electricity from China.”

The UWSA has also shut the Hpaung Seik Bridge across the Thanlwin River which links the MNDAA controlled towns of Kunlong and Chinshwehaw to Hopang Town, according to Hopang Town residents. This has exacerbated a shortage of goods in Hopang Town that has forced residents to import from Panghsang and Kyaingtong (Kengtung) towns in eastern Shan State, raising the price of goods in Hopang Town.

The aforementioned Hopang Town resident said: “Fuel prices have increased a bit due to shortages. The UWSA has closed the Hpaung Seik Bridge, preventing the transport of goods. I don’t know about the situation in Kokang [MNDAA]-controlled areas, but in Hopang, there aren’t many goods coming from Lashio. Instead, we have to import from Panghsang and Kyaingtong. Since goods cannot be transported in large quantities and only arrive in small batches, prices are higher.”

In late August 2024 the Chinese authorities closed the Mangka border crossing to Namtit Town, another UWSA controlled Town, about 10 km from Hopang. The closure has severely impacted residents in the towns of Hopang, Panlong, Mongmao, Pangwaun, and Namtit and caused shortages of food and goods in the region.

Currently, many people displaced from the MNDAA controlled Lashio Town by fighting are also sheltering in Hopang Town. Most have found work on construction sites, according to Hopang Town residents.

During ‘Operation 1027,’ the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which includes the MNDAA, seized the towns of Hopang and Panlong. These towns were handed over to the UWSA in early January 2024 and it incorporated them into the UWSA’s Hopang District. By June the UWSA had set up administrations in Hopang and Panlong Towns.