The Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) is banning and arresting locals in Kyethi Township, Shan State, who are trying to leave for Thailand, according to local sources.
The Shan army has announced that starting from 12 February, it will begin arresting residents of Kyethi Township who attempt to leave the country, as well as the drivers transporting them, and will also confiscate their vehicles.
A local said: “They are preventing people from going to Thailand. It’s not just Kyethi, but all the (townships) they control. They only allow the transportation of goods. I left today (12 February). But when we encountered SSPP troops, they told us to leave the passengers behind and that they would call the parents or relatives of the passengers. They told us drivers to turn back, so we had to leave immediately. The SSPP detained all our passengers”
Locals reported that the SSPP set up a checkpoint near the Pang Nga village junction in Mongshu Township and conducted inspections on 12 February.
“Pang Nga is near the Yae Kyaw bridge. There has never been an SSPP checkpoint there. They wait along the road and carry out checks. It is where they detained passengers there and forced the drivers to turn back. There are no vehicles entering or leaving today,” said another local man.
In a similar incident, the SSPP/SSA troops entered Mongshu’s Ward 4 and Pang Swea village and conducted recruitment on 12 February, causing fear among the people, according to locals.
After the SSPP’s announcement banning travel to Thailand circulated on social media, Shan News reached out to the armed group’s spokespersons for comment, but their phones were switched off.
On 10 February, Myanmar’s embattled military council announced that it would start enforcing a national conscription law requiring all adults to serve in the military.
The law provides for men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27. In addition, for qualified professionals, the age range is 18-45 for men and 18-35 for women.
On the other hand, groups engaged in fierce armed conflicts with the military junta, such as the Chin National Front (CNF) and the Kachin Independence Organisation/Kachin Independence Army (KIO/KIA), including the SSPP, which is not currently engaged in armed conflicts with the junta, sent felicitation letters to the National Unity Government (NUG) on the 77th Union Day, 12 February.
While the SSPP sent a felicitation letter to the NUG, locals are also concerned about the potential for conflict between the SSPP and the military council due to the announcement prohibiting locals from traveling to Thailand.
Sent by Shan News.