Residents of the Samkar (Sankar) region in Yawnghwe (Nyaungshwe) Township, Shan State, say the Pa-O National Organization (PNO/PNA) militia is extorting money and forcing villagers to take turns serving as guards every 10 days, despite widespread hardship caused by recent floods, earthquakes, and displacement.

Locals told SHAN that since early August, PNA troops have stationed themselves in villages across the Samkar area, demanding 500,000 kyats (about USD 114) from each household and rotating villagers into guard duty.

“The locals are afraid of dying, so they scramble to find the money. When something happens, it’s always the people who suffer. Villagers are forced to wear PNO uniforms and carry weapons, even though they have no training. If a real fight breaks out, the villagers on guard will be the first to die,” a man from Samkar said.

Residents also reported that the PNO has banned displaced people who recently returned from farming or trading, restricting them to fishing only for survival. In addition, villagers from Lwe Nwe, Taung Po Kwe, Taung Po Gyi, Yay Pu, and the Phaya Taung area are being forced to provide food to PNO troops.

“Some villages must send food packages deep into the forest where the PNO are based. Others cook meals at monasteries and deliver them nearby. We don’t dare send women into the forest because it’s not safe,” a resident from the Inle region explained.

The displacement crisis has worsened since February, when residents fled shelling by the military council. Many only returned in August, finding their homes stripped of valuables and even doors stolen.
“It’s just been over a month since we came back. Everything was gone. The PNO won’t allow us to work. We are surviving only on what little we have left,” one returnee said.

The tensions come as the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival proceeds in the Inle region under tight security. Displaced Karenni people sheltering in monasteries along the Buddha images’ procession route have been forced to move.

The situation has also turned deadly. On September 2, PNO troops arrested 42-year-old Ko Aung Myo Win of Ma Kyee Seik village and demanded 10 million kyats in ransom. When his family went to retrieve him, he was found severely injured and later died in the hospital.

Locals say the combination of natural disasters, displacement, and militia demands has left them unable to rebuild their lives, with the PNO continuing to collect money and conscript villagers despite the crisis.