Junta forces torch villages near UNESCO heritage site in Bagan

A military convoy from the junta’s Taung Zin police station torched several villages along Bagan’s Kyaukpadaung–Nyaung-U road on July 8, setting fires within a UNESCO-listed heritage site.According to local residents, the arson raids were carried out by a joint force of police commandos and pro-junta militia from Myingyan, Mandalay Region, who swept through the area over two days, burning at least six villages—including Chaung Shey, Pwe Taing, Ah Nauk Ohn, Kyauk Pyin Kan, Zeesahmyin (North), and Myaung, all within Nyaung-U Township. Sources say the junta convoy started from the village of Gangaw on the Chauk–Nyaung-U Road, bringing at least three tanks.The People’s Democratic Army (PDA), a local defense force active in the Bagan Region, said that pro-military militia groups set fire to around 100 homes across the villages. "There were no clashes, and still, they’ve burned down villages without any fighting,” a PDA officer told Myanmar Now. "A child and a man were injured in a junta drone strike, while the body of a man from Pwe Taing village was later found in a field near the school in Zeesahmyin village." Shortly following the arsons, resistance forces opened fire on the junta convoy in response.In Nyaung-U, student-led forces and local groups operate in the west, while township defense teams and allied units from nearby towns remain active in the east. Similar arson attacks by junta forces were reported about a week earlier in nearby villages, signaling a pattern of scorched-earth tactics as columns advance through central Myanmar. The Bagan Bo Cho group reported that at around 8:30 pm on July 12, as the column was burning various villages, resistance forces responded by deploying drone attacks and placing mines. The Bagan Bo Cho group is a local resistance force operating in the Bagan region, specifically within Nyaung-U Township of Myanmar's Mandalay Region. “We were tipped off that they planned to burn the village of Mee Laung Hpyar, so we planted pressure-activated anti-personnel mines around the area, along with other explosive devices to target their advance,” an officer from the Bagan Bo Cho group told Myanmar Now. “When these explosives detonated, they began setting fires.” “After our drone strikes, they retaliated by setting fire to nearby villages. And we saw them carrying containers of gasoline and intentionally torching homes and barns.”Resistance sources say the column took eight civilians captive as it withdrew from the area, though Myanmar Now has not independently verified this.According to the same sources, junta arson attacks destroyed around 100 homes in Mee Laung Hpyar Village before the troops regrouped with a nearby security unit and reportedly returned to their base near Nyaung-U Town.“In one area, they used improvised fire-starting tools—tyre seals tied to sticks—to ignite cow sheds,” the Bagan Bo Cho group officer said. “The arson was coordinated, with groups of five carrying out the attacks.” A large column of junta troops and pro-junta militias systematically burned down a group of villages across Nyaung-U Township on July 8, 2025, leading to mass displacement and sparking local fears. (Photo: People's Democratic Army) Mass displacement In Nyaung-U Township, where the National Unity Government (NUG) has yet to establish control, junta operations have displaced an estimated 10,000 people from 15 villages, according to local resistance groups. Most have fled to nearby farms, forests, and grass fields along the Ayeyarwady River in search of safety. A displaced man told Myanmar Now that he had faced repeated threats from the military. "This is the seventh time I’ve had to flee," the man told Myanmar Now. "Because we live near the river and the Ayeyarwady’s water level is high, we crossed a stream and took shelter on an island in the middle of the river." “Last time, they took the cows left behind and hauled them away in their truck,” he said. “They’ve already set fire to the village twice. With their repeated raids and arson, I feel it’s only a matter of time before our house is gone too.”Villages in Nyaung-U Township have been without electricity for two months, and schools staffed by junta-appointed non-CDM teachers have closed amid the ongoing military presence, according to residents. “We’re filled with bitterness and frustration,” a 40-year-old man from Kya Oh village told Myanmar Now. “Our children can’t go to school, and even the elderly have to escape on carts. The weather is unforgiving, food is hard to come by, and the river water is high and unclean—but we have no choice but to endure it.” Despite the recent arrival of heavily armed junta columns, no direct clashes have occurred in the area, where resistance efforts are still in their early stages, according to local groups. “Since fighting has only just started in this area, the terrain still feels unfamiliar,” a PDA officer said. He explained that after four years of junta control, armed resistance is only now emerging amid difficult movement through enemy territory, with fearful locals welcoming their presence and rejecting military rule. Junta members spotted near Bagan Town, Mandalay Region, March 2021. (Photo: Supplied) A growing resistance presenceThe junta controls Nyaung-U and nearby Nga Tha Yauk town, with troops stationed near the airport and active forces from surrounding townships reinforcing the area. Two junta-backed militias operate in Nyaung-U but have no fixed bases; residents say a resistance ambush in Gangaw village killed eight militia members as they tried to establish a foothold. Despite recent attacks, a Nyaung-U resistance officer told Myanmar Now that they need to collaborate and unite in order to counter the junta’s military presence.“The local groups are fragmented and lack strong coordination, which limits their ability to act jointly,” the officer said. “But if they come together, they would have sufficient weapons to face the advancing column.”He added that they were forced to retreat because of poor coordination between local groups, leaving them unable to protect the villages targeted by the raids.“They fled, thinking they were the only group in the area. If we had coordinated, we could have defended the village. But due to the lack of communication between groups, everyone pulled back—and the villages were left to burn.” Although resistance forces attempted to protect the ancient pagodas at the Bagan cultural site, residents reported that the junta used the pagodas and stupas as cover, set up a base there, and launched artillery attacks from those positions. “We are committed to keeping this area from turning into a battlefield,” the resistance officer said. “While it may lack significant military value, it serves as a symbolic front that the junta uses to present itself to the world. We will consolidate and strengthen our forces to launch offensives aimed at seizing their bases.” Despite no signs of clashes occurring across the targeted areas, residents of Myaung and Zee Zar Hmyin villages reported a concerted effort by junta forces to set the civilian populated areas ablaze. (Photo: People's Democratic Army)

Junta forces torch villages near UNESCO heritage site in Bagan

Residents report systematic burning of homes and coordinated attacks by junta-backed militias, while local resistance calls for greater unity to repel advancing troops

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