The military junta has arrested and beaten five villagers from Myaukchaw in Yepyu Township, Tanintharyi Region, and one of them is missing, according to local sources.
On June 20, the military junta entered Myaukchaw, which is controlled by the New Mon State Party, and detained four men collecting food supplies. The men were severely beaten and released the next day as the military junta withdrew from the village.
“They tied up the four men in the village and beat them severely. They released them when they left the village, but no one has seen them since. One was struck with a rifle butt, another on the head. They are expected to need extensive medical treatment,” said a local from Yepyu.
On the same day, June 20, the military junta detained and beat a 40-year-old local named Nai Ahbai who was riding a motorcycle into the village. He remains missing.
“One man is still missing. We don’t know where he is. He was arrested as soon as he entered the village, and we saw them burning his motorcycle. We also saw them beating him. Everyone is hiding in the jungle, so we haven’t found him. We have no news about whether he is dead or alive, taken away, or released,” said the local.
Family members and villagers are searching for Nai Abai, but they are worried about his safety due to the lack of information.
Following a clash with resistance forces, the military junta used airstrikes and artillery to attack Myaukchaw village, setting fire to and destroying 31 homes. The attacks occurred on June 19.
Additionally, on June 23, at 9 AM, the military junta fired artillery into Myaukchaw, Yone Paing, and Kyaung Down villages.
According to the Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA), which is part of the anti-junta resistance, the clash between the junta and the resistance forces took place near Myaukchaw in the Rar Hpu village tract on June 19. After the encounter, the military junta reinforced its troops on the eastern side of the Union Highway No. 8 in Yepyu Township.
