Junta troops have been moving from village to village along the Kalein Aung–Malwe Taung highway in Yebyu Township, Dawei District, inspecting, threatening, and in some cases beating local civilians, according to residents.
Throughout November, soldiers have been active around Yar Pu, Kywel Talin, Lok Thine, Tharyar Mon, and Kyauk Kadin villages. Villagers report that the troops regularly enter their communities, call people in for questioning, search homes, and check phones, creating an atmosphere of constant fear.
“They do not stay in one place all the time. They stay around four days in one village and then move to another. There are about a hundred of them,” said a man from one of the villages along the road. “When they meet you face to face, they mainly check your phone. Two residents of Tharyar Mon Village were beaten. They search some homes as if they are doing clearance operations, though they don’t enter every house.”
Residents say they are also worried that clashes could break out again at any time because of the increased movement of junta forces in the area.
After fighting between resistance forces and junta troops in early September, units from Infantry Battalions and Light Infantry Battalions based in Kalein Aung began taking up more permanent positions in the surrounding areas. Drivers and locals report that junta troops from the Mawrawaddy command who had been temporarily stationed there have now withdrawn, but other units remain active, frequently moving villagers and disrupting daily life.
This latest wave of intimidation comes after months of violence and displacement along the Kalein Aung–Malwe Taung road. In July and August, the Union Highway had to be closed when clashes escalated. During that time, junta troops looted and ransacked homes, taking valuable items from houses, shops, and small businesses.
Since early August, heavy fighting between allied revolutionary forces and junta troops in the Kalein Aung–Malwe Taung corridor has displaced more than 5,000 residents from at least ten villages. While people fled for safety, nearly all homes in four villages, Ma Yan Chaung, Tharyar Mon, Yar Pu, and Kywel Talin—were ransacked by Junta soldiers. Motorbikes and other valuables from machinery shops, clothing stores, general stores, and private homes were loaded onto military vehicles and taken away, a resident of Yar Pu told HURFOM.
For villagers who have already lost homes, livelihoods, and loved ones, the presence of heavily armed troops moving from village to village, checking phones and beating residents, is another reminder that there is still no safety along this road, only uncertainty and fear.
