Myanmar Army soldiers arrested three people during a raid in Kyuntawsu village in Thaingwa Township of Yedashe Township in Taungoo District in the eastern Bago Region on 1 December and released only two of them, according to local sources.
Following a tip-off from military informants, Myanmar Army soldiers entered the village, forcibly arrested three middle-aged residents and took them to the Taungoo interrogation center. Two of the detainees were later released, but the other, Ko Kyaw Hlaing, remains in detention, according to local sources.
“”All three were taken away and there has been no contact. The other two returned to the village today. The other one has not been released yet and there is no news about him. Those arrested are ordinary villagers who have no connection with anyone,” said a local resident close to them.
When the military council troops entered the village, they destroyed and sealed seven suspicious houses. As a result, almost the entire village fled to safety, and some military council soldiers are still staying in the village, according to the spokesman of the Battalion 3501 of the Taungoo District People’s Defense Force.
“They ransacked seven houses, destroyed the doors and sealed them. That day, almost the entire village fled to a safer place. About half of the villagers have since returned to their homes. Some of their troops are still in the village. Those who have returned are inspected by the military,” the spokesman said.
In the past, when military council troops entered villages and arrested people without valid reasons, some of them were later released, but some disappeared without contacting their families or were sentenced to prison terms, according to the Taungoo District PDF’s (3501) Battalion.
The Myanmar Army has raided villages and made arrests in Yedashe Township on the east bank of the Sittaung River, which includes more than 20 villages, while the PDFs – the armed wing of the National Unity Government – have gained some measure of control over the area.
In October, combined PDFs attacked council troops stationed in Kyoetpinseik village in Taungoo Township. Ten junta soldiers were killed and one member of the resistance was injured in the attack. Since the attack, the resistance forces have stockpiled weapons and ammunition, according to the resistance group.
Sent by KIC.