The Military Council troops not only arrested 4 young local women but also burned down about 30 houses in the village of Kyauktalon in Shwegu Township, Kachin State, according to locals.
On March 4th, a 200-strong military column invaded Kyauktalon village, resulting in the arrest of 20 residents. However, on the following day, 16 men were released, leaving 4 women still in detention.
"The male residents of the village were rounded up and forced to sit in the monastery courtyard. They were subsequently released this morning. However, the situation for the 4 detained women remains unchanged, and it is unclear why they have not been released yet”, a local woman told KNG.
A resident of Kyauktalon village reported that the Military Council troops also had set fire to approximately 30 houses in the area.
“There had been a fight around Kyauktalon the day before they invaded the village and set the houses on fire. The arson was triggered by an attack on their military column. The two houses owned by the former administrator Pho Shu and Daw Kyin Shwe were set on fire and spread to other houses. They burned the houses, accusing them of being linked to the KIA (Kachin Independence Army), PDF (People's Defense Forces)”, he explained.
The column of the Military Council entered Kyauktalon village after encountering an ambush between Kyaukkyi and Thar Yar Kone villages on 3rd of March. Following their invasion, the residents of Kyauktalon village, which comprises approximately 180 houses, fled to safety.
"Currently, the villagers of Kyauktalon have fled their homes and sought refuge in farm huts and makeshift shelters in plantations”, a Shwegu resident woman said.
On March 5th, artillery was reportedly fired approximately 15 times in an indiscriminate manner towards the opposite bank of the Ayeyarwady River from three separate locations including the Shwegu Police Station as well as a military base. This resulted in the injury of seven civilians from Ye Hle village.
At the end of February, the Military Council also carried out an early morning airstrike on makeshift gold mining sites along the Ayeyarwady River near Nga Pauk Wa village on the other side of Shwegu town, killing two civilians and injuring seven.
Troops from the 78th and 10th Light Infantry Battalions under the 88th Division of the Military Council are currently conducting operations in Shwegu.
