Junta Troops Stationed in Than Payar Village Force Civilians to Flee

September 26, 2025

Kyarinnseikgyi Township, Karen State
HURFOM: The military junta has stationed troops inside Than Payar Village, located along the Mudon–Kyarinnseikgyi–Payar Thone Zu (Three Pagodas Pass) road in Kyarinnseikgyi Township, forcing hundreds of civilians from Mon and Karen communities to flee their homes in fear.

Residents explained that heavy artillery attacks and military offensives have driven most of the villagers across the Za Mi River, where they now face urgent shortages of food, shelter, and other basic necessities.

“It is very frightening. In this recent clash, one villager was hit by artillery and his body was torn apart—his head could not even be found. Now the soldiers are inside the village, and there are heavy casualties on both sides,” said a local source.

Than Payar is one of the largest villages along the Za Mi River, home to both Mon and Karen families. It is about a half-hour motorcycle ride from Chaung Hnit Kwa, another community already under threat. Troops have set up permanent positions directly in the heart of the village.

The junta’s occupation is being bolstered by allied BGF/KNA and DKBA forces, with thousands of soldiers deployed along three key routes: the Mudon–Chaung Hnit Kwa–Than Payar–Kyarinnseikgyi road, the Mudon–Kamawet–Khale Tankhun–Kyarinnseikgyi road, and the Kyaikmayaw–Khar Yongu–Lwe Sinkon–Than Payar–Kyarinnseikgyi road. These roads link Kyarinnseikgyi to Kawkareik town and are seen as strategic military corridors.

On the evening of September 13, junta troops indiscriminately fired artillery into Than Payar. A 50-year-old villager, Nai Win Aung, was killed instantly when shrapnel struck him. Terrified residents began fleeing into the night.

As a result, hundreds of families from Than Payar and surrounding villages have crossed the Za Mi River in search of safety. Their displacement adds to the growing humanitarian crisis as communities face dire needs for rice, safe drinking water, and shelter materials.

Local sources also report that the junta is trying to regain control of main routes ahead of their planned sham election. Part of their operations includes rebuilding infrastructure destroyed in earlier clashes, such as the Dar Li Bridge between Than Payar and Shwe Lin villages, and the Chaung Hnit Kwa Bridge over the Attaran River in Kyaikmayaw Township.

For displaced families, however, the immediate reality is one of fear, hunger, and uncertainty as military occupation continues to tighten its grip on their homes.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News