The Tachilek Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) is forcing people to donate money to the city’s Shwedagon pagoda replica on the Thai-Burma border, said a local source.

On January 20, 2008, the Venerable Hseng La, the abbot who resides in Hsanhsai Leu monastery, made a request to TPDC official U Min Thein, to collect donations to buy gold leaves to gild the Shwedagon pagoda. U Min Thein then ordered village heads to collect Baht 45,000 (US $ 1,363) per village.

People were encouraged to donate large sums of money.  “Because if we donate less than Baht 150 ($4) the authorities would not issue certificates for us”, a villager said.

The TPDC official U Min Thein had ordered that the donation quota be filled within three months, the source said.

The authorities are collecting donations from surrounding markets, clothes shops, restaurants, tea shops and mini-marts. Also, four to five officials per day take turns to wait at the Shwedagon pagoda for donations from tourists.

“They initially promised to cover the pagoda with gold leaves but there are rumors they will actually cover it with copper leaves instead,” the source added.