In U Shit Pin City, Pantaung Township, Bago Region, Ward Administrator Aung Ko of Pyitawtha Ward is forcing local residents to cook meals and deliver food packages to the frontline battlefield. According to local sources who spoke to Yangon Modern News, civilians are being coerced to cook meals for military troops who are reportedly starving during battles in the Bago Yoma mountain range. The ward administrator claims the soldiers are surviving only on preserved bamboo shoots and three dried fish.
Currently, residents of Pyitawtha Ward are being forced to take turns cooking meals by street, following the ward administrator’s coercive orders. They must deliver the prepared food to the administrator’s office. The ongoing battles in the Bago Yoma region are reportedly intense, with high casualties on the military council’s side. Remaining military council soldiers are experiencing low morale, with many deserting or returning to rear areas without orders. The situation has become increasingly difficult for military forces in the region.
Due to the military’s losses, administrators and hundred-household heads in U Shit Pin City are organizing ward-by-ward food donations to create an appearance of public support for the military. Military council supporters and gamblers are also collecting donations for soldiers, including bottled water, soft drinks, dried fish, fermented fish paste, betel leaves, and dried noodles. These forced contributions and coerced labor are causing significant distress among local residents who are required to comply with these demands against their will.
