Residents living along the Gyaing River basin, situated between Kyaikmayaw Township in Mon State and Kawkareik Township in Karen State, have been prohibited from leaving their areas of residence by military junta forces, according to local reports.
Since September 30, military junta troops have been firing artillery into villages such as Kawbein, Min Ywa, and Dhammatha along the Gyaing River basin while simultaneously restricting residents from traveling outside their communities.
“Locals from Kawbein and Min Ywa are no longer allowed to travel to Kyaikmayaw. The military has blocked the road at Taryanar village. If fighting breaks out again, the situation will be very dangerous for the locals,” a resident said.
On the night of September 30, artillery was fired from the 81st Infantry Regiment, stationed in Zathapyin village, Hpa-An Township, as well as from military vessels on the Gyaing River. The shelling targeted areas near Kawbein and Min Ywa villages.
The artillery strikes injured a woman in Min Ywa village and caused damage to several homes, according to local residents.
“The military junta is shelling the outskirts of Kawbein, Min Ywa, and Dhammatha villages, claiming that resistance forces are amassing in the area. While they aren’t targeting the villages directly, the shelling is meant to intimidate us,” a Kawbein local said.
In addition to the artillery attacks, reports indicate that resistance forces are reinforcing their positions in the Gyaing River basin, raising fears of escalating conflict.
Residents have expressed growing concern that the ongoing census conducted by the military junta in the region may provoke clashes between the military and resistance forces.
A significant worry for locals is the military’s travel restrictions, which could prevent them from fleeing if fighting intensifies. “It feels like we are being used as human shields,” said a resident of Min Ywa. “In past conflicts, we could escape through jungle paths, but with the rains now, those paths are impassable. If they block the boat docks too, we’ll have no way out.”
Tensions in the Gyaing River area have escalated since the joint forces of KNU/KNLA/NMSP (AD)/PDF captured the Kawbein police station in Kawkareik Township on March 25. During these clashes, artillery fire from military junta forces, including from military vessels, destroyed over 300 homes in Dhammahtha and neighboring villages.
The ongoing conflict in the region has claimed the lives of over 30 civilians, including an abbot, and displaced more than 50,000 people from their homes.
