Internally displaced people (IDPs) in Yebyu Township, Tanintharyi Region, have been forced to flee again toward Ye Township due to worsening security conditions and fears that food supplies will soon be blocked, according to local sources.
Fierce clashes have been ongoing since August 21 along the Kalain Aung–Malwe Taung road, forcing residents from at least five nearby villages to take shelter in border areas between Tanintharyi and Mon State.
Locals said repeated shelling with mortars and small arms fire, combined with concerns that junta forces at the Malwe Taung checkpoint would restrict food deliveries, prompted many families to relocate to Ye. As a result, only a handful of men remain behind in their villages.
“On August 25, the monastery here was full of displaced families, but today it’s empty, everyone has gone to Ye. Life here has become impossible. Rice deliveries are restricted, there’s no medicine, and mortar fire can be heard daily. That’s why people left for Ye, where it feels safer,” one Yebyu resident told IMNA.
Resistance alliance forces have blocked the Kalain Aung–Malwe Taung road since the morning of August 24, but travel from Yebyu toward Ye Township remains possible.
“The road to Dawei is cut off because of daily clashes, so people can only use the Ye road. Cars can still pass on the upper route, but not the lower one. Some drivers had to spend the night on the road,” a resident from Kywel Talin village said.
Meanwhile, in Mayan Chaung and Tharyarmun villages, almost all civilians have fled as junta columns remain encamped. Soldiers have reportedly ransacked homes, looting belongings and transporting them by truck.
At least nine government schools in Yebyu Township are currently closed due to insecurity. Many displaced students are now seeking places in schools inside Ye or in safer nearby areas.
Local sources report that four separate junta columns are advancing through Yebyu Township. The operations involve units from Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 408, 409, 410, 273 (Kanpauk-based), and 282 (near Kawthlaing village), all under the command of Operation Control Command No. 19, based in Ye. Their offensives have led to intensified clashes in recent days along the Kalain Aung–Malwe Taung corridor.
