The Military Council troops are causing widespread destruction by committing arson and vandalizing villages one after another in Launglon Township of Tanintharyi Region, according to locals.

Military Council troops invaded two villages, Nyawpyin and Aukkyaukwut, in Launglon via the waterways on March 21st around noon. The villagers were shocked that the soldiers burned down 100 houses in the villages without any apparent reason, causing widespread destruction and displacement in the affected communities.

“In total, more than 100 houses were burned. Almost the whole village was destroyed. A 20-year- old villager was shot dead. The soldiers did not even spare the villages where their subordinates, Pyu-Saw Htee militia, were residing. They also set fire to villages where they suspected PDF (People’s Defense Force) members to be hiding”, a local told KIC.

Due to the Military Council’s senseless burning of villages, at least five nearby villages have been forced to flee in fear, according to local resistance forces.

“Most of the residents from nearby villages have fled to forest areas seeking refuge, as two separate military columns are currently invading the upper and lower parts of Launglon Township.

In spite of the conflict, the township-based resistance forces are doing their utmost to aid those attempting to escape the violence”, an information officer of Launglon-PDF said.

According to Southern Monitor, an independent research group based in Tanintharyi, a total of 435 residential houses have been burned down in the region’ s townships and villages between September 2021 and February 2023, as a result of the Military Council and its affiliates’  actions.

Local sources report that the Military Council troops burned down 9 houses in Karen Gyi village and 4 houses in Panyit village in the past few days, as well as looting valuables, livestock, and food that belonged to the locals.