The Myanmar army arrested about 30 locals after its troops were intercepted near Maungmeishaung village in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region, according to locals and resistance forces.
The arrest of the large number of locals came after about 20 junta soldiers coming down to Dawei from Yebyu were intercepted by local defence forces at around 4 pm on 4 August.
According to the Dawei Guerrilla Revolutionary Force (DGRF) information official, five military council soldiers were killed and one PDF member was injured in the attack.
After the attack, a junta column of about 40 reinforcement troops entered Maungmeishaung village and captured nearly 30 residents as human shields, according to resistance forces.
The junta detained the arrested residents at the Lahar military base and released most of them in the evening. However, four students from Dawei Technological University continued to be detained, according to the resistance forces.
The violent incursion of Myanmar army troops into Maungmeishaung village damaged about ten houses, according to residents.
Residents claim that the Myanmar army often detains residents as human shields as its troops are frequently attacked near Maungmeishaung village, which is close to Dawei Technological University.
According to a local research group, the military council detained more than 100 locals in Tanintharyi in July and prosecuted most of them under various sections of the law.
Sent by Than Lwin Times.