Junta targets Dawei Special Economic Zone with air assault during Cyclone Mocha

May 18, 2023

HURFOM: Residents of Nabu Lae village, Yephyu Township, confirmed the junta’s military attacked the area around Nabu Lae village at 9 am local time. The area is where the Dawei Special Economic Zone project is located.

“At about 4:00 am, there was an intense battle between the junta forces and the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) near the Dawei Special Economic Zone in Wat Chaung, Nabu Lae area, northwestern Dawei,” said a source from Nabulae, who talked to HURFOM reporters.

According to another local resident who escaped from the fight, the junta military dropped bombs from a jet fighter targeting the Nat Tar Ai area. A ground battle was taking place around 4 AM and the bombs were dropped around 9 AM.

“It was probably a 500 lb aerial bomb. There must have been at least 4 bombs. The damage list is still unknown. On the day Cyclone Mocha hit the villages and the whole coastal areas, the Junta military launched a targeted airstrike against our community,” recounted a 35-year-old Bagaw-Soon villager who helped dozens of villagers fleeing from the area.

Local residents fled to Kalon Htar and other neighboring villages in Yebyu Townships, for safety. People’s Defense Forces representatives on the ground estimated 300 to 400 villagers were hiding in ditches and pits that they had made.

A resident of Bagaw-Soon village said this airstrike may be the first airstrike they faced in the area.

One township-level administrative member of KNU’s 4rth Brigade, could not understand why the junta military attacked people during the storm.

It is estimated that at least 800 to 1,000 locals fled due to the airstrikes.

Heavy rains and strong winds from the cyclone left many houses damaged, in addition to the damages from the air attacks.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News