The Sagaing District Command has issued a formal directive ordering the total closure of all revolutionary checkpoints within its jurisdiction, aiming to alleviate the financial and administrative burden on the local population.
The order applies to all facilities operated by People’s Defence Force (PDF) battalions, local People’s Defence Teams (PaKaFa), and independent local resistance groups. This includes tax collection points, donation gates, security checkpoints, road repair fund stations, and lottery sale gates, whether situated on land or water routes. All such gates must be dismantled by 28 February, with authorities warning that failure to comply will result in effective legal action.
The move follows a similar directive in Shwebo District, where all revolutionary checkpoints were ordered to close by 17 February.
“This is a major step that the public will welcome,” an activist based in Monywa told the Myanmar Pressphoto Agency (MPA). “Beyond essential security outposts, closing these gates is vital for the long-term sustainability of the revolution’s relationship with the people.”
The District Command’s instruction explicitly forbids PDF and PaKaFa units from soliciting funds under the pretext of purchasing food, weapons, or ammunition if such activities cause public distress. Instead, units requiring logistics or military hardware have been instructed to submit formal requests through their respective chains of command.
As the conflict in Myanmar enters its fifth year, resistance administrations are increasingly focusing on governance and civil-military relations in areas under their control, seeking to standardize operations and curb informal taxation.
