A revolutionary force member who was left behind with injuries during a clash in Hpoewarthein village, Bilin Township, Mon State, was arrested and killed by military junta troops, according to ground sources.
Military junta forces launched a military column into Hpoewarthein village and set up temporary camps, leading to fighting with joint revolutionary forces on February 7.
During the clash, one revolutionary force member was shot in the leg and was unable to retreat. He was arrested by military junta troops and later killed, a woman from the joint revolutionary forces told Independent Mon News Agency.
“He was shot and could not run. Our side could not rescue him. The military junta troops arrested him, and we later heard that he was beheaded. When we received his body, parts of it were missing,” she said.
As of the morning of February 11, military junta troops were still stationed in Hpoewarthein village, and military tensions between the two sides remained high, sources said.
When the troops advanced into the area, they forcibly seized motorcycles from civilians and took valuable items from houses, the woman added.
“They did not arrest villagers. But when people encountered the military column, around 40 motorcycles were taken. Civilians were forced to walk. They kicked down doors of houses in the village and took valuable belongings,” she said.
The troops have reportedly withdrawn from Hpoewarthein toward Ahlugyi village, and the exchange of fire between the two sides has temporarily stopped.
Due to the military column and troop deployment, residents from nearby villages, including Thayetkone, Hpoewarthein, Ahlugyi, Nyaunghtauk and Shansu, remain displaced by the fighting.
