In U Shit Pin City, Pantaung Township, Bago Region, Ward Administrator Aung Ko of Pyitawtha Ward is forcing local residents to cook meals as unpaid labor and deliver food packages to the frontline. As fighting continues on the Bago Yoma mountain range, the ward administrator is making residents take turns cooking meals by street, claiming that military council troops are starving and need food support.
According to local sources, military council soldiers in the Bago Yoma battles are reportedly surviving only on gourd pulp and three dried fish. Using this as justification, Ward Administrator Aung Ko is systematically forcing residents to cook meals according to prepared lists and ordering them to deliver the cooked food to the administrator’s office. Additionally, military council supporters and gamblers are collecting donations of bottled water, soft drinks, dried fish, fermented fish paste, betel leaves, and dried noodles for the soldiers.
The ongoing battles in the Bago Yoma region are reportedly intense with high casualties on the military council’s side. Remaining military council troops are experiencing low morale, with many deserting or returning to rear areas without orders. Due to these heavy losses, administrators, hundred-household heads and civilians in U Shit Pin City are being exploited to create an appearance of public support for the military through ward-by-ward food preparation arrangements. Local residents are being coerced into participating in these forced labor schemes despite the military council’s oppressive actions against civilians.
