Locals flee as Junta troops advance into Za Di Village, Kanbauk area #Yebyu Township

October 20, 2025

HURFOM: Residents from Za Di Village Tract, located in the Kanbauk area of Yebyu Township, Dawei District, have been fleeing their homes since the second week of October as Junta troops advance into the area.

Beginning around October 12, soldiers from Infantry Battalion 273 (based in Kanbauk) and Light Infantry Battalion 409 (from Kalein Aung) launched an operation from Phaung Taw Village, moving through Maw Gyi Village and along the Maw Gyi road toward Za Di. At the same time, troops from the Mawrawaddy Naval Base advanced by boat from Kyauk Htaran Village to join the operation.

Although no direct clashes have been reported so far, troops destroyed parts of the road inside Za Di Village and briefly detained and questioned several residents before releasing them. “Some villagers were stopped and questioned but not arrested,” said a woman from Za Di Village Tract.

As of October 15, about 100 soldiers from ground and naval units were seen marching along the Thout Wa–Bawa road near Nabulae, reportedly joining forces with Junta troops stationed in the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Around 50 more soldiers are positioned near Kyauk Htaran Village, close to Za Di village.

Fearing renewed fighting, locals from Kaung Pyan, Deik Ta Kaw, and Thout Wa villages have fled once again. Za Di residents say this is not the first time they have had to escape; many have been displaced multiple times since the Kanbauk Reservoir battle in December 2024. Some who had only recently returned home have now been forced to flee again.

Those displaced along the Kanbauk–Nabulae road, which links the Dawei SEZ and nearby natural gas fields, are struggling to find safe shelter amid heavy rains, with many exposed to the weather and lacking basic protection, according to local sources.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News