After a string of military defeats against diverse armed resistance groups across the country, the coup Junta is accelerating military campaign in Mon State to avoid losing more territories, according to local resistance forces.
In Ye, the only township under martial law in Mon State, as well as Thaton, Kyaikto, Bilin and Kyaikmaraw, armed resistance movements are gaining strength.
In Thaton district, an area controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU), the Junta is further fortifying defenses and improving logistics for arms and food, according to Ko Aye Min Tun, an official from People’s Defence Force – Thaton District (PDF-Thaton).
Ko Aye Min Tun shared that, “At Thaton, where our operations are focused, the Junta is ramping up defenses by constructing new bunkers and using trucks and passenger vehicles to transport and gather weapons and supplies.”
The Junta is also conducting reconnaissance to target artillery shelling of suspected resistance positions, and if the exact locations are known, it typically launches air raids.
Since late October, the Junta has halted offensives in resistance strongholds in Mon State, including Thaton.
Following encounters with various resistance forces that seized its military installations—ranging from outposts to major bases and command centers—and after losing approximately 60 towns across multiple ethnic areas, the Junta undertook preemptive military preparations in Mon State.
Nai Banyar Mon, spokesperson for the New Mon State Party - Anti Dictatorship (NMSP-AD), mentioned that while he has not observed any unusual activities by the Junta in his organization's operational area, he has heard reports of accelerated logistics in other townships across Mon State.
NMSP-AD, having splintered from its parent organization NMSP to oppose the Junta, operates actively in Kyainseikgyi in Karen State, as well as in Kyaikmaraw, Mudon, and Thanbyuzayat in Mon State, alongside northern regions.
Nai Naga, spokesperson for the Mon State Revolutionary Force (MSRF), remarked that Junta bases in Ye township are deploying heavy artillery batteries never seen before and increasing troop numbers to extend their control over the area.
“The Junta has installed 120 mm Howitzer artillery guns, a sight never seen before in Ye township. Although they had paused area clearance operations since October, Junta troops are now resuming activities”, he said.
Nai Naga also predicted that fatigued Junta troops engaged in clashes in the northern part of the country, along with new recruits enlisted under the conscription law, may be deployed to bases in Ye and Yebyu.
According to data from Burma Affairs and Conflict Study (BACS), a research entity, the Junta has conscripted over 350 young people from Mon State in the first and second batches of its conscription plan.
On the other hand, clashes erupted on June 8 when the Junta troops, disguised as civilians, attempted to retake the Ye-Dawei Road section controlled by the MSRF-led resistance coalition.
The resistance forces controlling that section of the road are preparing to defend it with all their might, and have warned civilians to steer clear, as intensified fighting is expected.
“With the military situation in the northern part of the country calming down a bit, the Junta appears to have shifted its focus back to Mon State, where its activities have been suspended since October. It seems it views us as soft targets, and the likelihood of fighting is high”, Nai Naga told Than Lwin Times.
The resistance forces in Mon State have not yet been able to seize the Junta's bases and towns as in other ethnic areas, but they have frequently raided the Junta's security outposts, police stations, convoys, and other military targets.
