Military kills aid workers and civilians in bid to secure Dawei SEZ, Fortify Rights reports

Families’ homes in Yebyu Township’s Wa Zun Taw village, Tanintharyi Region, were burned down by regime forces after they allegedly set fire to the village in July 2026. (Credit: A resident via Fortify Rights)

The Myanmar military arbitrarily detained, tortured, and killed at least five civilians—including three humanitarian aid workers—during a July 2026 counteroffensive in Yebyu Township, Tanintharyi Region.

According to an Aug. 31 report published by Fortify Rights, the atrocities occurred as regime forces moved to secure territory surrounding the strategically vital Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Russian-backed deep-water port project.

Documented atrocities and civilian impact

The military operation displaced thousands of residents across northern Tanintharyi as regime columns executed civilians and engaged in systematic arson:

• Aid Worker Executions: On July 9, regime troops stopped civilian vehicles in Khamaung Chaung village and detained three members of the Ants Humanitarian Aid Team—a youth-led relief group established in October 2024. On July 20, their bodies were discovered bearing severe neck and head wounds in an oil-palm plantation between Aye Ka Ni and Wa Zun Taw villages, alongside a fourth victim dressed in a People’s Defence Force (PDF) uniform.

• Killing of Religious Figure: Local reports allege that soldiers forcibly derobed and killed a Buddhist monk in Kone Thar Yar Inn village during the clearance operations.

• Village Arson: Eyewitnesses confirmed that regime forces set fire to civilian homes in both Aye Ka Ni and Wa Zun Taw villages.

The July offensive followed a June 26 directive from military Deputy Commander-in-Chief Kyaw Swar Lin ordering the Coastal Region Military Command (RMC) in Myeik to secure the SEZ and the critical Ye–Dawei–Myeik–Bokpyin–Kawthaung highway corridor.