Local villagers still in hiding: Military aircraft patrolling the skies in Na Bu Lae, Yebyu

May 20, 2023

HURFOM: On May 15, around 10 am, residents from the Na Bu Lae area reported seeing military surveillance helicopters aggressively scouting their communities from the sky.

The junta military had executed airstrikes in the Na Bu Lae area, in the morning of May 14, 2023.

One villager who witnessed the Junta’s helicopter flying at a low altitude of roughly 200 feet with machine guns pointed and ready to shoot at anything they saw.

“I could hear the scout plane flying around. I saw them aiming their guns at the village below. They’re flying really low and scanning for potential movement on the ground. They are ready to shoot when they see people. I didn’t dare to come out of my hiding place; everyone was afraid.” said a 40-year-old local man.

From midnight May 14 into the early hours of May 15, armed clashes occurred between the Junta’s troops and the Local People’s Defense Forces (PDF) around Na Bu Lae. After that, a helicopter flew into the area in a very threatening manner, reported residents.

Although no aerial bombs or shooting from the military aircraft occurred yesterday, villagers fear an imminent attack.

Villages in the Na Bu Lae area are being patrolled by the joint forces of the 404th, 405th and 406th Infantry Battalions, which have hundreds of troops on the ground. It has been reported that the local people are being arrested and being used as human shields.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News