Myanmar junta forces torch villages and arrest civilians in Magway Region following election ambush

Mizzima

Troops from the military junta have launched a series of violent raids across villages at the borders of Mindon, Thayet, and Kamma townships, reportedly arresting residents and burning homes in a self-described “clearance operation.”

According to Ko Myat, the information officer for Thayet District Battalion 4, a military column exceeding 250 personnel stormed Pazinkhar village in Mindon Township at 11:00 am on 13 January.

During the raid, soldiers forcibly gathered residents in the village centre before setting fire to unoccupied houses, destroying 16 homes in the blaze.

Later that same day, the troops advanced to nearby Thaphankaing village, where they torched three additional houses before continuing their march toward Thayet Township. The column is now reportedly heading toward the villages of Aukmamint, Sele, Sinkaw, and Pontarr.

“They entered the village, arrested the people, and forced them to gather in the centre of the village. Then, they set fire to the unoccupied houses in the village,” Ko Myat told Mizzima.

He added that the military’s advance appears to be focused on areas near Defence Equipment Factories.

The escalation follows a deadly ambush on 12 January near Thaphankaing village, where revolutionary forces targeted a military convoy transporting ballot boxes from Mindon to Thayet.

That attack, which killed four junta soldiers, occurred just a day after the completion of Phase 2 of the military-led elections in Mindon and Kamma.

While the military has reinforced its presence in the region since 5 January to secure the election process, local resistance groups maintain that the current raids are a retaliatory measure for the recent ambush.

While most residents are believed to have fled into nearby forests, specific details regarding civilian casualties or the total number of detainees remain unavailable due to the ongoing military operations.