Military council forces have been burning down Bogyitaung village in Gangawpin village tract, Minla Township, Bago Region’s Thayawady District since 5 AM on June 23, according to local residents and news sources. Villagers have been forced to flee to safety due to the military’s advance into the area, while the current status of potential arrests or killings remains unconfirmed.
According to a news source based in Minla Township, the military council forces entered the village and began burning houses without any fighting taking place. While most residents have fled, there is no confirmation yet whether any civilians have been arrested or killed. The previous day, military forces had also burned down one house in Udokywalansu village in Udoknyanpin village tract and two houses near the Thayawkun suspension bridge at the entrance of Ywekun village.
A local resident reported that most people from villages in the Gangawpin village tract had already evacuated to nearby villages and Minla town, leaving only a few house guardians behind, as they had received advance warning of the military’s planned operation. When the military started burning Bogyitaung village this morning, even the remaining house guardians had to flee. This escalation of village burnings by military council forces is connected to a battle that occurred on June 16.
During that battle, revolutionary forces attacked a military checkpoint near Ouktwin village in Minla Township. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least 20 military personnel, including several high-ranking officers: Lieutenant Colonel Zaw Myint Win from the Thayawady District Administrative Body, Major Phyo Min Oo from the Oaktho Township Administrative Body, Deputy Police Lieutenant Colonel Soe Khaing from Thayawady District, and Major Yan Naing Aung from the Minla Township Administrative Body. In response to these significant casualties, particularly among senior officers, the military council has been conducting extensive operations in Minla Township since June 19, systematically burning villages in what appears to be retaliatory action against the local population.
