Junta Troops Use Villagers as Human Shields in Yebyu Township

August 26, 2025

HURFOM: In Yebyu Township, Tanintharyi Region, junta forces stationed in Mayan Chaung village are preventing local residents from fleeing and instead using them as human shields for their own security, according to local sources and HURFOM field reporting teams.

Military operations in Mayan Chaung began in July and have steadily escalated. Troops from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 282, under MOMC 19 and based in Yebyu, have been reinforced by additional units, sparking near-daily clashes with resistance forces.

A local resistance fighter described the situation:
“In Mayan Chaung, their operations are unpredictable. Sometimes they raid, sometimes they stop. Shops are closed, no one is allowed to leave, and they don’t let anyone enter. The villagers who remain are being used as cover while the military commits abuses.”

By mid-August, nearly 800 residents from Kaw Hlaing, Mayan Chaung, Mile 60, and Tharyar Mon villages had been displaced. While some families managed to flee, others remain trapped inside Mayan Chaung, unable to leave as soldiers continue to occupy the village.

The broader conflict has also intensified along the Union Highway, which is currently under the control of the Mon–Karen–Dawei resistance alliance. The junta is attempting to retake this strategic road, deploying reinforcements from Kanbauk and Kalein Aung in addition to LIB 282. According to an officer with the Dawna Battalion, approximately 150 soldiers from units 408, 409, and 410 have joined operations in the area.

“Because our joint forces control the Union Highway, the junta is trying to take it back. Fighting happens almost daily, with reinforcements moving from both Kanbauk and Kalein Aung,” he explained.

On August 20, clashes erupted again in Mayan Chaung between junta troops and joint resistance forces. The situation remains volatile, with the potential for further fighting in villages along the Ye–Tavoy Highway (Route 8). Road travel has been heavily restricted, and resistance groups are urging travelers to avoid unnecessary movement unless absolutely urgent.

Meanwhile, junta operations have also intensified along the Ma Hlwe Taung–Kalein Aung road, where troops split into four columns and advanced toward Nat Eain Taung and Ma Hlwe Taung. Indiscriminate artillery fire has forced more families to flee, adding to the growing number of displaced civilians in Yebyu Township.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News