Junta Troops Arrest Villagers in Yebyu Township; Some Remain Detained and Unreachable

April 14, 2025

In Yebyu Township, Dawei District, junta forces advancing through the Pugawson village tract have arrested several residents, with some villagers from Watchaung still in detention and out of contact, according to locals.

On the morning of April 12, junta troops arrested three villagers from Lae Shaung and Htain Gyi villages. However, locals confirmed that these three individuals were released later in the afternoon.

On April 8, in the late afternoon, junta forces encountered a group of villagers during their patrol and arrested Ko Khin Zaw, a man in his 30s, along with other unidentified villagers. The arrest took place while they were harvesting rubber in a plantation area. Two rubber-tapping couples were also detained alongside Ko Khin Zaw.

“All of them were picked up by the advancing troops. Ko Khin Zaw has not been released yet,” said a local source.

As of the evening of April 12, a villager from Watchaung was still being held by the junta without release, residents added.

The junta column, consisting of over 200 soldiers, began their offensive from Lae Shaung village toward Khamaung Chaung on April 7, causing residents from Ekani, Khamaung Chaung, and Wat Chaung villages to flee in fear of violence.

Since mid-March, junta troops have been operating in and around the Nabule area of the Dawei Special Economic Zone, moving from village to village. As of April 12, they are reportedly stationed in Thain Gyi, Lae Shaung, and Mudu villages, according to residents of Nabule.

Following the junta’s recent agreement with Russia to restart the Dawei SEZ project, troops have been deployed to villages surrounding the planned deep-sea port project. Local sources report that soldiers are now encamped in and around these villages, including in abandoned homes in Mudu village, Yebyu Township.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News