Mizzima
A Myanmar junta column burned over 300 residential houses in Gangaw town, Magway Region, and killed two local people, including a child, according to Yaw Defense force (YDF) and local residents.
In Shwe Bo village, the junta troops shot and killed U Thar Nwe, an 80-year-old man who was unable to leave his home due to impaired vision, and the charred body of a nine-year-old child was also discovered, according to a villager.
On 16 May, at around 10:30 am, a joint column of about 250 junta troops and Pyu Saw Htee militia members entered Yay Thar and Shwe Bo villages, destroying houses, said a YDF official.
“They started by setting fire to Yay Thar village, which had fewer homes. Then, they set fire to Shwe Bo village,” the official said.
According to Ko Ba Kaung, a Yaw local, more than 300 houses were burned in Shwe Bo village and 14 houses were set on fire in Yay Thar village.
Ko Ba Kaung continued, stating that the junta column had captured seven monks as hostages and set fire to a hall within the Shwe Bo village monastery grounds, only to release them on 17 May.
According to the YDF, the junta column is currently making its way back to the junta-backed Pyu Saw Htee stronghold village of Myauk Khin Yan.
The locals claim that this is the third time Pyu Saw Htee militiamen from Myauk Khin Yan village had set fire to Shwe Bo village, which is one of the nearest villages to Myauk Khin Yan village.
On 7 November, 2023, two YDF resistance members were taken into custody by junta forces and Pyu Saw Htee militias stationed in Myauk Khin Yan village. They were then publicly burnt alive.
