A representative from the Palaw Township People’s Defense Force has detailed the recent clash in Palaw city, Tanintharyi Region. On September 8, the military forces raided Ward 4 of Palaw city and arrested local civilians to use them as human shields. After the arrests, the military forces established a position within the ward and forced some of the detained civilians to serve as advance scouts for their military column.
On September 9, at approximately 12:00 PM, when the military column was moving within Palaw city, resistance forces launched their first mine attack. About an hour later, at around 1:00 PM, when the column was attempting to leave the city, resistance forces conducted a second mine attack. These attacks resulted in at least seven military casualties, while the resistance forces were able to withdraw successfully without any injuries. The military column had been using detained civilians as human shields during their operations, demonstrating their continued violation of human rights and commission of war crimes.
According to the Palaw Township People’s Defense Force representative, regarding the status of detained civilians, the female detainees were released on the evening of September 8. However, the male detainees were transferred to the Palaw police station. While fighting has temporarily ceased in the Palaw area, the military column remains in the vicinity of the city, prompting warnings to local residents to exercise extreme caution in their movements. The situation remains concerning for civilian safety as the military continues to use local residents as human shields and commit war crimes. The People’s Defense Force continues to monitor the situation closely while maintaining their stance of protecting civilian populations from military aggression.
