Battalion 3504 based in Yedashe Township has announced that they have successfully cleared 23 out of approximately 70 landmines planted by the military council forces on a public road between Kwanhtaung and Thapanzin villages on the western bank of the Sittaung River in Bago Region. On May 15, military council troops entering from Yedashe town to the western bank of the Sittaung River systematically planted M-2 type mines along this road section. The dangerous ordnance was discovered and reported by local residents.
A joint clearance operation was conducted on May 18 by members of Battalion 4504 based in Yedashe Township, People’s Defense Forces (PDF), and Battalion 805 from the Naypyidaw Central Command. Local residents living in the western Sittaung River area have been warned to exercise extreme caution when traveling due to the military council’s reckless placement of mines. The Yedashe Township area has seen frequent civilian casualties, including deaths and loss of limbs, due to landmines planted during military council operations in the region.
According to a resident from Kyunthaukkone village in Yedashe Township, civilians are unable to move freely due to the military council’s operations, and there is widespread fear due to mines planted both on roads and within villages. There have been casualties among internally displaced persons, including a tragic incident on March 6 where a 12-year-old third-grade student named Maung Kyay Sin Hein lost both legs in a mine explosion. Local communities are now forced to seek assistance from People’s Defense Forces to clear mines in their villages following military council operations. The indiscriminate planting of mines by military forces continues to pose a severe threat to civilian safety and freedom of movement in the area.
