Yebyu Township, Tanintharyi Region, some residents from four Mon villages, who had fled for safety due to mortar shelling and clashes between the military junta and local resistance forces, have begun returning home after two months in displacement, citing difficulties in securing food and basic necessities.
Since June, fierce fighting has been ongoing in Yebyu Township between junta troops and allied local resistance forces. Mortar fire from junta positions forced over 1,000 residents from Kaw Hlaing, Ma Yan Chaung, Mile 60, and Tharyarmun villages to flee to safer areas.
A Yebyu local said that while fighting continues into August, some displaced people have decided to return because they could no longer manage their living conditions in displacement.
“They’ve stopped firing mortars, so some people are coming back, but not all. Some are still waiting and watching the situation. Most of those who haven’t returned are from the Kaw Hlaing side, where there’s still fighting and shelling,” said the resident.
During their displacement, residents took shelter in forests, plantations, nearby towns, villages, or with relatives. Limited aid and the junta’s restrictions on transporting food into the area made survival difficult.
More than 500 displaced people have yet to return, and the situation along the Ye–Dawei road remains tense as junta forces and resistance fighters continue to confront each other.
“The fighting has eased, but it could break out again at any time because both sides are watching each other closely. People have been displaced for about two months, so when it became hard to survive, some decided to return. If fighting restarts, they’ll flee again,” another local man said.
Junta mortar attacks in Yebyu Township during June and July killed seven civilians, including children, and injured one woman.
According to FE5 Tanintharyi, ongoing clashes and junta airstrikes in Dawei, Launglon, Yebyu, and Thayetchaung townships have displaced more than 30,000 civilians in Tanintharyi Region.
