Civilians Trapped Between Two Fires as Fighting Intensifies Near Kaw Hlaing Village

August 15, 2025

HURFOM: Yebyu Township, Dawei District — Ongoing armed clashes between junta forces and joint resistance groups near Kaw Hlaing village, close to Klain Aung town, are leaving innocent civilians in an increasingly dangerous position — trapped between two fires with no safe place to go.

On 13 August 2025, two separate clashes broke out in the area. During the fighting, the junta’s 282nd Artillery Regiment indiscriminately fired shells toward villages and roads, hitting Mile 60 village road. A driver was injured by shrapnel while trying to take cover beneath his vehicle as the road became blocked by the fighting.

“They’re firing artillery weapons randomly. One driver was struck by shell fragments. The fighting was on the Kaw Hlaing side — but even those far from the clash aren’t safe,” said a local woman.

The Mon State Revolutionary Force (MSRF) reported that the clash occurred when their joint forces — including the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Battalion 27 under Brigade 6, the Ramonnya Mon Army (R.M.A), Dawna Column-2 (YGF), Dawna Column-3 (KBDF), Strategic Column-33 Special Operations Unit, and the Kyel Lin Yaung (Sakapaw) Battalion (KTLA) — attacked advancing junta troops. They claim 14 junta soldiers, including an officer, were killed, and at least 15 others injured.

However, for civilians in the surrounding villages, there are no victories — only mounting fears. People in Yebyu Township have been enduring constant danger for months. The Nat Ein Taung border outpost, the junta’s last remaining stronghold in Dawei District, has been the scene of repeated clashes. In July and August alone, the junta attempted three times to send reinforcements on foot, but resistance forces intercepted them in at least 10 ambushes.

Caught in the crossfire, villagers have no choice but to abandon their livelihoods. Farmers cannot tend to their fields, fisherfolk cannot safely reach the rivers, and families are living under the constant threat of shelling and arrest. With roads blocked and access to markets restricted, food supplies are dwindling, and medical care is scarce.

The right to live and the right to survive — basic human rights that should be guaranteed — are being stripped away. “We’re not part of the fighting, but we suffer the most. Every day is just about trying to stay alive,” a resident told HURFOM.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News