Junta forces burned down around 40 houses in Yantaung and Thinkyun villages, Thayetchaung Township, Tanintharyi Region, on the morning of September 7, according to local sources.
Residents said soldiers set fire to the homes without provocation while launching an operation in the area, even though many villagers had already fled due to ongoing conflict. About 30 houses in Yantaung and 8 houses in Thinkyun were destroyed in the arson attack.
Ko Bone, spokesperson for the Dawei District Democracy Movement Strike Committee, said the arson followed a clash near the entrance of Yantaung village, where resistance forces ambushed the advancing junta troops with landmines.
“There was no fighting inside the villages. Some people were still living there, but after their convoy hit a mine at the Yantaung entrance, they went in and torched houses. These are ordinary villages, not IDP camps. Many residents have left for Thailand or Malaysia, so most of the burned homes were empty,” he said.
After setting the houses ablaze, junta troops reportedly stationed themselves inside the villages for a short time before moving to other areas.
In August, junta columns also burned nearly 70 homes in Moe Shwe Kone and Sawhpyar villages in the same township.
