In Ushitpin town of Pantaung Township, Bago Region, Ward Administrator Aung Ko is forcing local residents to cook meals as unpaid labor and deliver them to the frontline battlefield. According to local sources, the administrator is compelling people in Pyitawtha Ward to cook food for military troops who are reportedly starving during battles on the Bago Yoma mountain range. Residents are being ordered to take turns cooking meals by street, and must deliver the prepared food to the administrator’s office.
The administrator claims that military troops on the Bago Yoma frontline are surviving only on dried gourd and three small fish, using this as justification to force civilians to cook meals. Currently, residents of Pyitawtha Ward are being required to prepare food on a rotating schedule according to the administrator’s orders. Local sources report that they must deliver these meals to the administrator’s office daily. The forced labor system has been organized street by street within the ward.
The ongoing battles on Bago Yoma are reportedly very intense, with high casualties on the military council’s side. Remaining military council troops are said to be 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 Ushitpin town are being forced to organize ward-by-ward meal preparation to create an appearance of public support for the military. Additionally, military supporters and gamblers are collecting donations of bottled water, soft drinks, dried fish, fermented fish paste, betel leaves and dried noodles, claiming these are for military troops.
