A spokesperson from the Yangon Army has confirmed to Yangon Modern News that Ward Administrator Phoe Zin and his group were targeted in a bomb attack while gathering to forcibly recruit young people as porters in Insein Township, Yangon. The incident occurred at 10:14 PM on August 23, when Phoe Zin, the administrator of Ward (C) in New Town, Insein Township, and his followers were assembling to arrest young people for porter service. Urban guerrilla forces attacked them with two high-powered hand grenades, reportedly causing casualties.
Providing details about the attack, the Yangon Army official explained that Administrator Phoe Zin and his group regularly conduct night raids to arrest young people, maintaining a detention cell at the ward office. The captured youth are then sold to locations requiring military service. The group is known to carry short firearms, and Phoe Zin, a follower of the notorious Kyin Hut, has been attempting to secure a position as a representative. The operation was a joint effort between the Yangon Army (YA) and the Western District PDF, with all resistance fighters safely withdrawing after the attack.
The Yangon Army has stated that the attack was carried out in response to Administrator Phoe Zin and his group’s involvement in the military council’s illegal election activities, as well as their human trafficking operations involving the forced recruitment of young people as porters and their subsequent sale to military service positions. The group has been actively supporting the military council’s oppressive activities in the area, particularly targeting local youth.
Furthermore, the Yangon Army has announced that they will continue to launch intense attacks against military council-related targets and those involved in the illegal election process. They have specifically warned those who are participating in acts of violence against civilians and forcing young people into porter service that they will face severe consequences. The resistance forces have emphasized their commitment to protecting civilians from the military council’s systematic oppression and human rights violations, including the forced recruitment of youth for military purposes.
