Local residents have reported that Military Council troops apprehended over 30 civilians from villages situated along the banks of the Irrawaddy River in upper Shwegu Township, Kachin State. Around 8:00 a.m. on August 8, a group of Military Council troops arrived at Shwe Kulay village, Shwe Bon Thar village, and Nga Pauk Wa village in upper Shwegu township. They utilized two ironclad vessels with approximately 30 personnel, and arrested over 30 local residents.
"Early in the morning, they commenced a round of arrests. They detained a considerable number of people and transported them in ironclad vessels. They entered the village and carried out these arrests," described a nearby resident of Nga Pauk Wa village to KNG.
A male activist from Shwegu Township reported that the nine military vessels, en route from Mandalay on July 26 was preparing to travel upstream from Shwegu to Bhamo, arrested civilians for the purpose of using them as human shields on the vessels.
"I believe they are employing local villagers as a form of human shields. They have apprehended over 30 to 40 individuals, encompassing residents from both Shwe Bon Thar and Shwe Kulay villages. These individuals were arrested and transported to Shwegu. It appears they are making preparations, and I suspect military vessels will be moving upstream today," he remarked.
Among the detained individuals are both men and women, with a significant number hailing from Nga Pauk Wa village, as reported.
A local resident with proximity to the Shwegu PDF group shared insights on the Military Council troops' practice of arresting locals to employ them as human shields during the movement of military vessels upstream, specifically between Shwegu and Bhamo. " In times of major operations, they resort to using locals as human shields. The presence of civilians deters the resistance opening fire.” he explained.
As the 9 military vessels were traveling upstream from Mandalay, the military council troops faced significant losses due to the firing and attack by peoples defense forces along the river. Between Htigyaing and Katha, more than 50 prisoners from Htigyaing prison were taken aboard military vessels and brought to Katha prison, with the use of human shields.
The residents also reported that on the morning of August 7, the Military Council troops indiscriminately launched artillery shell attacks from military vessels at the entrance of Shwegu dock. This firing persisted throughout the day, targeting the western side of Shwegu until night-time. However the residents of the nearby villages had already evacuated two days before the military vessels arrived, resulting in no reported casualties.
