individual contributions of a few hundred kyats to upwards of US$10,000 (12.7 million kyat). Donations are unregulated and subject to virtually no accountability. The Ma Ba Tha appears to have low operating costs. Many significant expenditures are donated, such as much of the technical expertise that has allowed the Ma Ba Tha to reach its current level of efficiency. Nearly all of the Ma Ba Tha’s team of lawyers, accountants, and media experts are reported to provide their services for free. An illustrative case is the lead lawyer U Ye Khaung Nyunt and his daughter who claim they came out of retirement at the urging of senior Ma Ba Tha monks.267 In an interview, Nyunt claims to be helping purely for “the merit” (i.e. the concept of good deeds that accumulate into the next life in the path towards spiritual enlightenment).268 Interviews with local journalists suggested the same regarding other Ma Ba Tha advisors who worked full-time jobs and assisted the Ma Ba Tha afterhours.269 Other significant donations are similarly intangible. For example, the Ma Ba Tha’s grand October 2015 celebration rally at Thuwanna Stadium was a venue secured by a special Presidential exemption.270 271 For other major events, such as the Race and Religion Law celebration in Pathein, even the 20,000 required chairs were donated, in that case by the Irrawaddy General Administration Department.272 According to author observations, donations appear to be primarily made in the form of cash, for which some monasteries issue receipts. 273 274 275 276 277 However, an increasing share of donations also appear to route through the formal banking system, with some monks even posting their bank account details online to facilitate donations.278 The majority of available donations to the Ma Ba Tha, though, appear to be relatively small and from laypeople of various socio-economic statuses, as seen on donation receipts and bank transfer slips. Some typical examples include: Reported Donation Amount: 120,000 kyat (US$93)279 Donor: Family Business in Theingyi Market (largest in Yangon) Reason: In Support of Flood Relief Reported Donation Amount: 1,500,000 kyat (US$1,163)280 Donor: Yee Mon Pickled Tea Family Reason: General Support The Ma Ba Tha does not advertise its big-money donors, and some no doubt prefer anonymity. However, in some cases, donors have chosen to publicize their contributions. One such donation that received significant press was alleged to have consisted of 700 million kyat, or US$ 550,000, donated to the Ma Ba Tha by a Buddhist group backed by a gold mining firm, Myanmar National Prosperity Public Company (MNPPC).281 However, according to contacts who reached out to Ma Ba Tha after the news release, the Ma Ba Tha claimed that the figure had been misreported and was closer to US$ 55,000.282 The latter figure appears more realistic. In an interview with BBC Burmese around the time of the donation, MNPPC Chairman Soe Tun Shein stated that he had donated 1 viss (about 3.6 pounds) of gold.283 At market rates, it would be worth approximately US$60,000 (76 million kyat).284 285 This may not be Shein’s only donation; Wirathu claimed in September 2015 that he had previously made another donation of “1 billion kyat” (US$770,000) to flood relief efforts, although there is no corroborating evidence.286 It is worth noting that the MNPPC is reportedly currently in dispute with the government concerning its gold concessions, resulting from the company owing money to the Ministry of Mines287 and having incurred local opposition to their operations.288 32