The military junta has been conducting repeated military operations in both northern and southern Ye Township, Mon State, since mid-June, according to sources on the ground.
In recent days, a military column of more than 100 troops from Infantry Battalion 61 under Military Operations Command 19, based in Ye Town, has been carrying out operations along the Kyaung Ywar village road.
According to local sources, troops from the column have been demanding money from drivers of cargo trucks and motorcyclists traveling along the route. They have also ordered local residents working in plantations to return to town areas.
A resident from northern Ye said, “The military column operating in northern Ye has now reached the Kaloetoke village area. In southern Ye, another column of around 130 troops advanced from Kyonlaung Ywar Thit village along the Kyaung Ywar road and is heading toward Leikpoke.”
The resident said the operations may be linked to the military junta’s 100-day plan and suggested that the military is likely preparing attacks targeting areas where People’s Defense Force (PDF) groups are active around Ye Township.
Due to the military operations along the Ye–Kyaung Ywar road and concerns over possible airstrikes, residents from villages in the Kyaung Ywar village tract, including Natgyi village, have been seeking shelter in safer locations at night.
A male resident from Kyaung Ywar said, “People are frightened whenever troops are active in the area. They are also worried about airstrikes, so they no longer dare to sleep in the village at night. During the day, they go to work only after assessing the security situation because they still need to earn a living.”
Revolutionary force members have warned residents to remain vigilant, saying the ongoing military operations may be part of efforts to re-establish territorial control and that the military junta could increase its use of air power.
On June 18, the military junta carried out an airstrike on a refugee camp operated by the Nippon Foundation in the Yechaunghpyar area, which is under the control of the New Mon State Party (NMSP). The attack damaged four houses, a Mon National Primary School, and plantation crops due to bomb fragments.
