About 10,000 local residents from Kani flee again as the Myanmar junta’s fleet advances up the Chindwin River

Hlwan Moe for Mizzima

About 10,000 local residents have had to flee from their homes after the junta’s fleet fired heavy weapons against them as they were advancing upstream along the Chindwin River.

The villagers from about 10 villages have been displaced since 6 July at 8:30 am.

The junta’s fleet sailing from Ahlone Township, Mindaunt jetty upstream along the Chindwin River consists of 26 flat-deck iron-hull vessels and two naval boats, the local people said.

“All the local people have to flee from their homes as they are firing heavy weapons shells continuously along the river on both banks. Similarly, junta forces are deployed on land too. And then all the local people have to flee to save their lives,” a local villager said.

In the monsoon season, the river is navigable and wide enough as the rainwater floods the river. And then the junta forces use the river waterway to transport arms, ammunition and other supplies by river boats escorted by some naval vessels. As of 6 July, this fleets has been stationed near Min-O, Ein Taung village in Kani on 6 July.

“We have been displaced for nearly two months. So all the people are unemployed as the commodity prices are soaring. We badly need food supplies at the moment. We are currently taking refuge at the schools in other villages. We will lose these temporary shelters when the schools are reopened,” another villager who is displaced again by the advancing junta’s fleet said.

A total 46 vessels in this fleet arrived at Monywa, Ahlone, Mindaunt jetty on 4 July in the morning and it had 40 cargo vessels and six escort naval boats, the statement issued by Anyar Myay Pyit Taing Htaung organization says. Of these vessels, 26 vessels are sailing upstream along the Chindwin River. The junta forces are launching military offensive in Kani Township and they have stationed at Chaung Ma village, at the junction of Monywa-Kani-Yargyi highway for about two months. As a result, the villagers from south of Kani have had to flee from their homes as the junta’s fleet is advancing upstream along the Chindwin River.