Mizzima
Residents report that military soldiers conducted raids on villages in Waw Township, Bago Region, where they abducted at least 50 villagers and set fire to an overpass connecting the villages.
The junta column, comprising military troops, police, and Pyu Saw Htee, reportedly carried out the raids in Sin, Ahnyarsu, Khintankone, Ahwinepat, and other villages, taking at least 50 residents on 24 January at around 11 am.
The abductions are believed to be based on suspicions of individuals having contact with the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs). As of now, families have not been able to establish contact with these people, as reported by an official from the Waw People’s Defense Force.
“As of 26 January, the abducted locals have not been released, causing significant concern for their families. These villagers were apprehended under suspicion of having contacts with the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs). The junta claims to have detained them to ascertain the truth,” said the official from the Waw People’s Defense Force.
During the raids on the villages, the military column fired several rounds of ammunition recklessly. As a result, a 39-year-old man named Hla Win from Khintankone Village, Waw Township, Bago Region, and a 20-year-old girl named Thae Su Lin from Winkan Village, Kyaikhto Township, Mon State (located on the other side of the Sittaung River) were injured.
Furthermore, as the military troops departed the area, they deliberately set fire to and destroyed the wooden overpass that connected Ahnyarsu and Ahwinepat Villages at 3:35 pm, according to a local source.
The actions of the military have instilled fear in the residents, leading many from Ahnyarsu and Ahwinepat villages to flee to safer locations due to the perceived threat of arrest by the military.
“The villagers are currently fleeing in fear. Panic has gripped all nearby villages,” said the official from the Waw People’s Defense Force.
Sources from the Bago region indicate that the junta soldiers are interrogating these apprehended individuals at interrogation centres located in the Field Artillery Regiment (205) and Artillery Operation Command (901) in the Bago region, respectively.
