In villages in northern Ye Township, military council forces are conducting strict security checks under the stated purpose of maintaining security. Residents reported this means being arrested and beaten during inspections.
During the first week of July, three middle-aged men from Taung Bone village were detained and questioned by military forces stationed along the road between the Ayu Taung and Taung Bone villages.
Although two of the three detainees were later released, the remaining man was reportedly beaten and tortured at the Ayu Taung village administration office, according to a Ye Township resident.
“It happened on the road between Ayu Taung and Taung Bone. The military suspected them because two men were riding one motorcycle while another man was traveling separately on another motorcycle, so they arrested them. Normally, they maintain a heavy security presence along that road,” a Ye resident told IMNA.
Since June, military council forces have intensified area clearance and security operations, and conduct daily inspections on roads connecting Ayu Taung village and nearby villages, as well as at intersections and junctions, including inside the town area.
At present, residents remain concerned about their safety due to the increased military presence, potential ambushes, and heightened security deployments at intersections and village entrances in Ayu Taung village.
“They had not been conducting security checks for a long time, but recently they have started again. Everyone is now afraid to travel. In Ayu Taung, a member of the People’s Militia named Lin Oo has bought large areas of farmland near the village. They are also standing guard there,” another local man said.
Military council forces have also carried out indiscriminate artillery fire. During the first week of July, a military column consisting of between 20 and 30 troops advanced toward Wae Rah Hlaing village.
Although no clashes between the two sides have occurred since the military column entered the area, residents remain concerned because military council troops have not withdrawn and continue to fire indiscriminately with small arms.
