Mount Popa closed to public following resistance raid on junta base

Myanmar’s junta has blocked public access to Mandalay Region’s Mount Popa after resistance fighters raided the military’s telecoms stations on the dormant volcano, reportedly taking two prisoners who later died in their custody. Fighters of the Myingyan Black Tiger (MBT) group and other local resistance forces assaulted the military-controlled Myanma Radio and Television (MRTV) and Myawaddy TV/MWD broadcasting stations last Friday, capturing two personnel guarding the premises. Members of the Popa Guerrilla Force also reportedly took part in the raid. While one of the guards resisted and evaded capture during the assault, the resistance fighters took one private and one non-commissioned officer into their custody, according to MBT officer Mike Khae. “They were at their posts guarding the MRTV relay station and MWD stations,” he said. “We ambushed them and captured them at gunpoint.” The group also reported on social media that they had confiscated two firearms and a supply of ammunition from the captives. According to spokespersons for the MBT, the resistance fighters intended to hold the prisoners in accordance with international law concerning prisoners of war. However, when the captive soldiers attempted to resist and flee, the resistance fighters killed them. A video released online shows MBT members interrogating a senior non-commissioned officer who appears to be in his 60s and a private who appears to be under 30. View of the Taung Kalat Buddhist temple complex on Mount Popa in Mandalay Region. A shrine in the complex is perched on an extinct volcano (Photo: Sai Aung Main/AFP) In the aftermath of the attack, the junta council restricted access to Mount Popa starting on Saturday, as reported by locals and resistance forces. “It’s now prohibited to go up the mountain,” Mike Khae said. “Visitors have been turned away, and civilians in villages near Mount Popa are being detained.” Some people living near Mount Popa earn their living by assisting, guiding, or driving visitors to and from the mountain and the Taung Kalat monastery and temple complex at the top. A local woman told Myanmar Now that blocking access to the mountain would be a blow to local people’s livelihoods. “Most locals here make a living by giving rides up and down the mountain on their motorcycles. While some visitors prefer to hike to the top, it’s quite steep and takes a long time,” she said. “There are also snack stalls at the mountain’s summit, and it will be difficult for the vendors now.” Mount Popa’s peak is nearly 5,000 feet above sea level. The mountain’s temple and monastery complex, as well as the views of the surrounding landscape, draw thousands of visitors every year, especially at the height of the hiking season in December.

Mount Popa closed to public following resistance raid on junta base

The military regime has blocked public access to the pilgrimage site and popular tourist destination after the resistance captured and killed two soldiers guarding radio and television stations on the mountain

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