Eight Villagers Still Detained by Junta Troops in Yebyu Township Despite Mass Release

August 3, 2025

At least eight residents from Paradat village, Yebyu Township, Dawei District, remain in detention after a raid by junta troops earlier today, despite the release of most others initially arrested, according to local sources.

The raid occurred early in the morning on August 2 in Paradat village, located within the Dawei Special Economic Zone. Troops reportedly entered the village at around 6:00 a.m. and arrested approximately 30 villagers, including both men and women.

“There was a funeral taking place in the village. People were moving in and out, and the soldiers started arresting whoever they came across,” said a local woman who witnessed the events.

By around 10:00 a.m., the junta forces withdrew from the village and released several women and elderly men near Htauk Wa village, which is part of the Paradat village tract. However, eight men remained in custody and were taken away, the woman added.

Eyewitnesses reported that the same troops, accompanied by the eight detainees, returned to the Deep-Sea Port area shortly afterward.

The arrests in Paradat follow a similar incident just days earlier in Pantin Inn village, Long Lone Township. On July 29, junta troops entering the village were ambushed by the Dawei Nationalities Liberation Army (DNLA) and allied resistance groups, sparking an intense battle. During the clash, approximately ten houses were destroyed by fire, and several civilians were killed due to junta artillery shelling.

The following day, on July 30, reinforcements—estimated at over 50 soldiers—were deployed to Pantin Inn. That evening, more than ten residents were reportedly arrested and transported to a junta base near the Deep-Sea Port.

As of the afternoon of August 2, local sources confirmed that detainees from both Paradat and Pantin Inn villages had not yet been released. Families remain deeply concerned for their safety and well-being.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News