Myanmar junta expands military presence in Sagaing Region

Myanmar’s military is setting up new camps in Sagaing Region’s Kyunhla, Taze, and Kanbalu townships to bolster its strength in the region, according to local resistance groups. The build-up has been centred around three areas, the groups said: the village of Aing Daing in Kyunhla Township, Wet Poke in Kanbalu, and villages surrounding the town of Taze. A column of 200 regime soldiers and members of the military-backed Pyu Saw Htee militia advanced into Aing Daing in mid-June and has since established a stronghold there by building fortified positions on a nearby hill, local sources told Myanmar Now. The village, located near the Thaphan Seik Dam, was previously under the control of resistance forces and administered by the publicly mandated National Unity Government (NUG). “We control areas west of the dam. Aing Daing, which is right at the top of the dam, used to be under our control, too,” said a member of a local resistance group. The heavy presence of regime forces in Aing Daing has prompted residents of the nearby villages of Kywete and Nyaung Kaing to flee the area out of fear of artillery attacks, he added. Earlier thus month, junta troops stationed in Aing Daing raided two villages in neighbouring Taze Township, burning down more than 150 houses, according to a humanitarian relief coordinator for the local NUG administration. “It had been more than a year since their last military operation in the area. They just came down from Aing Daing, which is on the border between Kyunhla and Taze, and started setting fires,” said the relief coordinator. Taze Township is regarded as a resistance stronghold, with forces loyal to the NUG controlling most areas outside of the town of Taze, its administrative centre. Resistance groups have made two attempts to capture the town. While they failed on both occasions to seize the main police station, they managed to overrun and briefly hold other military-held positions in the surrounding area. Members of a Pyu Saw Htee group led by Buddhist monk U Warthawa hold a graduation ceremony in Kanbalu Township in early July (Pro-junta Telegram channel) Taze is also notable as the birthplace of U Warthawa, an ultranationalist Buddhist monk who has spearheaded the regime’s efforts to recruit locals to the Pyu Saw Htee. “They increased their numbers a bit after the mandatory conscription law was enacted, and since then they’ve been carrying out more attacks,” said a resistance source in Kyunhla. In early May, around 400 junta troops and Pyu Saw Htee members from neighbouring Kanbalu Township began establishing fortified positions in villages around the town of Taze. “It’s a defensive strategy to prevent resistance forces from capturing the town,” said the information officer for the anti-regime Taze Township People’s Defence Organisation. Meanwhile, in Kanbalu, the regime has also established a fortified position in the village of Wet Poke, located between the town of Kanbalu and Sabai Nanthar, a village some 15 miles to the east. “The Kanbalu-Sabai Nanthar Road is completely cut off, so we think they want to try to reopen this route,” said an officer from a local resistance group. Late last year, anti-junta forces launched a number of attacks in the area, without being able to hold onto any of the targeted junta positions. The Pyu Saw Htee controls more than 40 villages in Kanbalu. According to resistance sources, many locals are coerced into joining the militia. “They call people who are in hiding after they get their phone numbers from people who have been arrested. They threaten to burn down their village if they don’t come back. Some flee without their belongings, but some decide to join the Pyu Saw Htee,” said an officer of a local resistance group. According to the humanitarian relief coordinator from Taze, the military has multiple reasons for establishing new camps in areas where the resistance has a strong presence. “They might be trying to expand their area of control. They might also want to cut off supply routes between townships, including food supplies,” he said. “Part of their strategy is simply to create as much hardship as possible for local people, who don’t dare stay within a three-mile radius of junta camps,” he added.

Myanmar junta expands military presence in Sagaing Region

Local resistance forces and civilians face increased threats as the regime establishes new strongholds in three townships

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