The ward administration office under the military council in Ward 141 of South Dagon Township, Yangon Region, was attacked with hand grenades in a joint operation by the Yangon Army (YA) and Western District People’s Defense Force (PDF). According to a Yangon Army official who spoke to Yangon Modern News Agency, the attack was carried out at 10:01 PM on March 8. The primary reason for the attack was cited as the continuous oppression of local civilians by the ward administrator and his associates.
The Yangon Army spokesperson indicated that the ward administrator and his associates were likely casualties in the attack. They further stated that similar operations targeting military council-affiliated positions would continue until the fall of the military dictatorship. These attacks represent resistance actions by people’s defense forces against administrative mechanisms that have been implementing oppressive policies against civilians under the military regime.
The military council has been using township and ward-level administrative structures to maintain surveillance over civilians, conduct arrests and intimidation, and force people into military service. Analysts suggest that such attacks by people’s defense forces will likely weaken the military council’s administrative control mechanisms, potentially providing local residents with some relief from the regime’s oppressive measures. The targeting of administrative offices represents a strategic approach to dismantling the military council’s grassroots control structure, which has been instrumental in maintaining their authority over civilian populations.
