Residents are stockpiling food in preparation for possible fighting, concerned about the escalating tensions between the military council and revolutionary forces in eastern Ye, Mon State, as well as the junta’s extended road blockages.
The military council continues to restrict travel and the transport of goods on the Ye-Kyon Laung road. On 23 January, fighting broke out when the New Mon State Party (Anti-Military Dictatorship) (NMSP-AD) launched an attack on the Infantry Battalion stationed in Khaw Zar.
Since the third week of January, residents of Khaw Zar, Kyine Nye, Mi Htaw Hla Lay, Mi Htaw Hla Gyi, and Man Gyi villages—areas that have not seen fighting—have been purchasing rice, medicine, and other essential goods through Ye, according to locals from southern Ye.
“Locals are scared of fighting. They’re stockpiling rice and supplies because they fear the military council will block the roads. When the fighting starts, the military council will prevent people from transporting food,” said a local from the southern part of Ye.
The military council has imposed restrictions on the transport of goods at the checkpoint on the Ye-Khaw Zar road section. People must call ahead if they wish to carry more than one bag of rice, according to a local woman from Ye.
A local woman from Ye said, “Junta soldiers ask about the number of rice bags. They don’t want to let people carry goods out of town. If we want to transport rice, we have to call them (the military council) in advance and tell them it’s for sale. We can only carry it if they give permission. A vehicle is allowed to carry no more than two bags of rice.”
A local woman from Ye also mentioned that food prices in the town have risen because of the rice buying and stockpiling, and most of the people from low-income backgrounds are unable to afford to buy and collect supplies.
The military council has restricted access to rations and travel on the Ye-Kyaungywa and Ye-Kyon Laung (old village) road sections for over 20 days. As a result, there is a shortage of basic food items, forcing both local residents and displaced people to buy them at inflated prices, leading to widespread food shortages.
In addition, locals are concerned as the Infantry Battalion-31, based in Khaw Zar, has been indiscriminately firing heavy weapons into the southern part of the forest, where revolutionary forces are stationed, using the navy. The heavy shells have landed and exploded near the village, according to residents
Sent by IMNA