Weekly Analysis: Dozens of Homes Torched Across Dawei

September 15, 2025

The deliberate destruction of properties by the military junta has caused widespread fears in areas monitored by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), including Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi Region. The Burma Army intentionally sets fire to people’s homes and possessions to weaken their morale and to discourage support for the Spring Revolution.

Fear and devastation spread through Yan Taung and Thin Kyun villages in Thayet Chaung Township, Dawei District, after junta troops torched dozens of homes on the morning of September 7. At around 9:30 AM, over 100 soldiers moved into the area from their base near Moe Shwe Kone village. Residents said the troops set fire to houses in Yan Taung and Thin Kyun shortly after being ambushed by resistance forces while travelling in passenger vehicles.

“They burnt down houses with and without people inside. In one case, they called out to someone hiding inside. When the person didn’t come out, they set the house on fire with him still inside,” a villager told HURFOM.

At least 25 homes were destroyed in Yan Taung and another eight in Thin Kyun. Among the ruins are two-story family houses, modest wooden dwellings, and small shelters that villagers had built with their savings. After the arson attacks, troops continued toward Thayet Hnit Kwa village, where they are stationed.

This latest assault follows an earlier round of raids in late August, when soldiers burned around 70 houses and killed two villagers in Saw Phyar, Moe Shwe Kone, and Uttu villages. The repeated destruction has left hundreds displaced, with families scattered in nearby forests and monasteries, unable to return.

A local woman said, “It is not only the houses that are gone. Our hopes and our safety are destroyed with them. Each time they come, we wonder if our family will survive.”

In another case, in Taung Yin Inn village, Yebyu Township, Dawei District, junta soldiers stationed near Phar Chaung village tract have left a trail of devastation. Between August 24 and September 2, the troops torched homes and carried out arbitrary arrests.

Residents said the soldiers set fire to about 18 houses in the center of the village. “A total of around 18 homes were destroyed. Ten of them were completely reduced to ashes. They even poured sand into the engines of motorcycles hidden in the monastery. It seemed like they wanted to destroy everything they could,” explained one villager.

After burning the homes, the troops withdrew, but not before seizing two men in their 50s who were trapped inside the village, along with others they encountered along the road. As of September 8, none of the detainees had been released.

The fear of further attacks has forced many families in the Phar Chaung area into a routine of displacement. Villagers return to their homes during the day to salvage what they can, but at night they flee and sleep elsewhere for safety.

Within just ten days of the junta’s arrival in the Phar Chaung tract, at least six clashes have erupted between regime forces and local resistance groups. Resistance members report junta casualties, though both sides have suffered losses in the fighting.

Overview of Main Cases

• Junta’s Indiscriminate Artillery Attack Kills Child in Yar Phu Village in Yebyu, Dawei

On September 8, 2025, the junta’s forces carried out an indiscriminate artillery attack on Yar Phu village, Yebyu Township, Tanintharyi Region, despite no armed clashes taking place nearby. The shelling killed a three-year-old girl and left a 40-year-old villager with severe injuries. Troops from the regiment based in Ma Yan Chaung launched three artillery shells that landed in the middle of Yar Phu village. One shell struck a family home, instantly killing three-year-old Ma Ngwe Hmone Oo.

• Junta Arbitrarily Grabs Young Men in Mudon for Conscription, Families Fear They Will Be Used as Human Shields

Residents of Mudon Town, Mon State, are living in fear after junta forces began arbitrarily arresting young men following the killing of a military informant by resistance fighters on September 1, 2025. The incident triggered a sweeping security clampdown across Mudon, with soldiers setting up checkpoints on Kan Gyi and Chaung Hna Kwa roads and tightly controlling the entrances and exits of the town.

• Fear and Intimidation Rise in Mon State as Junta Deploys Militias to Secure Control Before December Election

In Mon State, the Junta-appointed Chief Minister, U Aung Kyi Thein, has ordered officials to ensure that there are “no disturbances or obstacles” during the regime’s planned sham election in December 2025. His directive, issued on 4 September at a meeting in the Mawlamyine Government Office with state-level department staff, underscores how the junta is weaponizing security forces and militias to tighten control over communities.

• Junta Troops Burn Homes and Threaten Villagers in Yebyu Township

In Taung Yin Inn village, Yebyu Township, Dawei District, junta troops who had temporarily stationed in the area have threatened to shoot residents attempting to return to their homes.

Advancing from Phar Chaung village tract, the soldiers set fire to around 18 houses in Taung Yin Inn between 24 August and 2 September. After torching the homes, the troops initially withdrew but returned in early September. When villagers tried to come back, they were forcibly expelled and warned they would be killed if they stayed.