Yangon: Myanmar authorities have arrested 21 people accused of transferring money to an opposition linked fundraising programme, state media reported on September 29.
The authorities said they had also identified information on more than 2,700 people who allegedly provided financial support to the People’s Revolution Supply Family, known as the PRF. The programme is linked to Myanmar’s National Unity Government, or NUG, which was formed after the military seized power in February 2021.
The arrests and information about the alleged donors were reported by Myanmar’s state run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. The report did not provide full details about the identities of the 21 people or the specific charges against them.
The PRF describes itself as a fundraising programme of the NUG Ministry of Defence. It was established in December 2021, several months after the military takeover.
According to information published by the PRF, the programme raises money to provide food and other support to People’s Defence Force, or PDF, units. The PDF is an armed resistance force aligned with the NUG and has been fighting Myanmar military forces in several parts of the country.
The PRF says it had collected more than 30 million EUSD by September 2025. The figure comes from the organisation itself and has not been independently verified.
Myanmar authorities have treated financial support for the NUG and groups linked to it as a criminal matter. The government has designated the NUG and its allies as terrorist organisations.
The authorities have not provided publicly available details showing how the information on the more than 2,700 alleged donors was obtained. It is also not clear whether all of the people identified by the authorities actually made payments to the PRF.
The state media report said the 21 arrested people would face legal action and that investigations would continue. It also said financial accounts linked to the funding would be closed and confiscated. Further details about the charges and possible penalties were not immediately available.
The arrests come as Myanmar continues to face armed conflict and political unrest more than five years after the military seized power. The NUG is a parallel administration opposed to military rule, while the NUG aligned PDF and ethnic armed organisations continue to fight government forces.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said on September 28 that 31,981 people had been arrested since the February 2021 military takeover. The organisation said the actual number was likely to be higher because its figures may not include all cases.
The latest arrests highlight the authorities’ efforts to track financial support for opposition groups. For the people identified as alleged donors, however, important details about the evidence against them and the legal cases remain unclear.