Locals in Yebyu Township in Dawei District – an area controlled by the New Mon State Party (NMSP) – are struggling to obtain food supplies due to the travel restrictions imposed by the military council, according to local sources.
Locals report that it has been five days since the military council troops entered the village and restricted the movement of residents following an armed clash with allied resistance forces near Myauk Chaw village.
“It is not easy to get out to the main road near Rar Hpu and Ah Lel Sa Khan. We can only leave when they (the junta soldiers) allow us to. It’s very difficult for us to travel now. Some people are beginning to face hunger. People are running out of rice and food,” said a local resident.
There are nine villages in Dawei District of the Yebyu area including Myauk Chaw, Na Gar Aing, Meik Zite, Yone Paing, Kyaung Done, Ma Rawt Chaing, Hle Seik, Pa Nang Pon and Thar Yar Wa Di (Thea Chaung). The residents began to face food shortages after the military junta imposed restrictions on travel between villages.
Out of nearly 3,000 people in these nine villages, more than 1,500 residents of Myauk Chaw, Meik Zite, Yone Paing, Kyaung Done, Ma Rawt Chaing, and Na Gar Aing villages are currently caught in the conflict zone.
Commenting on the military council’s restrictions on movement between villages, a local source from Yebyu said: “They (the junta troops) have designated the villages in this area as pro-PDF villages. We have heard that they are saying these villages support the PDF.”
“There are about 150 junta soldiers in the Myauk Chaw village area. We don’t know about the others yet. If the situation continues like this, it is unlikely that it will return to normal soon,” said the local.
Since the start of fighting with allied forces on 19 June, the military junta troops have carried out military offensives in the areas controlled by resistance forces such as Myauk Chaw, Na Gar Aing, and Kyaung Shar Kwin. In addition, they began sending more troops with three military vehicles on 23 June, said a local resident.
Also on 19 and 20 June, the junta not only carried out airstrikes on the areas. They also tightened checks on the local population and burned down more than 40 houses in Myauk Chaw village. The junta troops also burned down civilian houses in Na Gar Aing village on 22 June, according to local sources.
Locals also reported that the military junta shelled Myauk Chaw, Yone Paing, and Kyaung Done villages at 9am on 23 June.
Sent by IMNA.