Six civilians were killed and 13 others arrested during military junta operations in the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project area in Yebyu Township, Tanintharyi Region, during July, according to a report released by Dawei SEZ Watch on August 2.
The military operations began after Deputy Commander-in-Chief Kyaw Swar Lin reportedly ordered area clearance operations in early June to facilitate the resumption of the Dawei SEZ project.
Beginning on July 9, nearly 1,000 military junta troops entered the project area and launched operations along multiple routes.
According to Hay Tu, a member of Dawei SEZ Watch, the military junta troops killed six civilians during the July operations, including a Buddhist monk and a minor. He added that most residents in the area have also been forced to flee their homes.
“They claim the operations are intended to provide security for the project, but in reality they are arresting and killing civilians and burning down homes,” he said. “Many local residents have been displaced because of the military operations, and their livelihoods have also been disrupted.”
He said the military operations were accompanied by a series of human rights violations in affected villages, including the killing of civilians, the use of civilians as human shields, the burning of homes, and looting of private property.
The July offensives displaced residents from about 40 villages in the Dawei SEZ area. Many have fled to safer locations, while some villages have faced repeated military incursions.
A local revolutionary force source told IMNA that one military junta column is currently operating near Myohaung village, where troops have continued to arrest and shoot young people encountered along the roads.
“They advanced toward Myohaung village and either shot or arrested anyone they encountered,” the source said. “They also shot and killed a young man on July 28. Nearly 1,000 troops have been deployed around the Nabule area to suppress local residents.”
Dawei SEZ Watch concluded that efforts by the military junta-appointed government to revive the Dawei Special Economic Zone project have further worsened security, socioeconomic conditions, and the human rights situation for local communities.
IMNA