A joint force of junta soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee militia members raided villages in Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region on 9 November, setting fire to 133 houses, according to the Kyunhla-Kanbalu Activists Organization.
The joint force set fire to houses in Kyaung Kone, Pho Kone, and Tha Byay Thar villages in Kanbalu Township, according to an official from the Kyunhla-Kanbalu Activists Organization.
In addition, the joint force burnt a local from Tha Pyay Thar village to death and abducted another, the official said.
The official said: “Around 8 a.m., they moved in and set fire to three villages one after another. The body of the person burned to death was found in Tha Pyay Thar village, but we are unable to identify the victim.”
The official continued, “Tha Pyay Thar is located near Zee Kone village, which is dominated by the Pyu Saw Htee militia. It is also close to the Pyu Saw Htee camps and the sugar mill. Most people from the area live in the forests and do farming rather than residing in the village. We are unable to identify the detainee, as they have been taking shelter in the area since the beginning.”
The joint force of around 120 members stationed at Zee Kone sugar mill burned 43 houses in Kyaung Gone village, 23 in Pho Kone village, and 67 in Tha Pyay Thar village.
A person helping the internally displaced persons (IDPs) said, “According to the reports they have received, public buildings have not been targeted in the recent burnings. Kyaung Kone village is facing arson for the first time. Tha Pyay Thar village has been burned for the third time, and Pho Kone village has been attacked twice. In the first incident, eight houses were burned down, followed by 31 in the second. Then, a school building was also set on fire.”
On 8 November, the junta soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee members killed two civilians and abducted four others including a woman in Thayettaw(Bainn) village in Kyunhla Township in Kanbalu District. The family members of the detainees are deeply concerned, as the four have not been released yet.
The local residents of the villages whose homes were burned down are currently seeking shelter in the forests and on farms. They are in urgent need of food, blankets, and clothes.
A local said, “The difficulty now is the cold weather. People are forced to seek shelter in the forests, and the situation is dire without warm clothes, blankets, and roofs. Even in huts, it gets cold at night. Taking refuge in the forests makes survival difficult, as there’s limited access to food and drinking water.”
Following the raids by the joint force of junta soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee members in Kanbalu District, they have arrested and killed locals, burned down homes, and forced around 8,000 residents to flee their villages.
Sent by NMG
